Illusions That Confine Us
by Ratty Darling
Summary: After his revenge, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett got married and are now living by the seaside. But not everything is what it seems. Will Sweeney Todd grow to love his new wife? Or will their relationship remain the same? Sweenett/Toddett X3
1. Prologue

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter One

Mrs. Lovett was fully aware that when he married her exactly two months ago, that he didn't love her. That the only reason why he had married her was to change their identity, or hers at least. It had all been a plan after Toby disappeared, when both knew that he had gone to the law.

So Mrs. Lovett concocted a plan within minutes, a plan that saved and hopefully freed their lives. Their plan to escape only took the following three things; corpses, fire and most importantly, tact.

Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett packed their things and put them in a small pile next to the pie shop doors, Mr. Todd's things consisted of nothing but his clothing, which wasn't much, and his razors. He had decided to leave his beloved and cherished pictures of Lucy and Johanna behind, the memory of them, he thought, would be too painful to carry along with him.

Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett disposed all but two bodies from the bake house, for whoever would come across the two bodies would hopefully think that she and Mr. Todd died in the fire.

Mrs. Lovett's meat pie emporium and Sweeney Todd's tonsorial parlor went up into flames after setting it on fire. And then, just before sunrise, Sweeney Todd and Eleanor Lovett disappeared to the seaside, where they were married within the next few days.

The two former accomplices now lived in a quaint little cottage near the shore. The furniture in the house wasn't much being that they had lost everything in the fire - naturally they couldn't lug a bunch of furniture across town without being noticed. Most of the things in their home now were things that they bought from the market and the things that were already in the abandoned place when they found it; just the basics, a table, a settee, two beds, and some washroom and kitchen supplies. The things they needed to get by for the time being.

Gradually, over the last few months, their home was finally coming together. It wasn't much but it was good enough for what they bought with the money they had left over from business.

You would think that from all of this Mrs. Lovett's dreams had come true, that she had finally gotten her happy ending. But may you be reminded that they had_ two_ beds. Sure they were married but that didn't mean that their relationship had changed at all. The only thing that changed was her legal last name, which was now Todd - He still addressed her as "Mrs. Lovett."

Since his revenge, Mrs. Lovett had noticed that he talked to her less (not that he ever really did before). He stayed hidden in the back room of their cottage, which happened to be the darkest area of the place. He had also insisted that his room be back there, and it was.

He hardly ever left it, seeing how he saw no reason to live. His life as Sweeney Todd had been fulfilled, his revenge taken in some haste. But he couldn't bring himself to commit suicide, that's not how he would die, no. He would die a very slow and gradual death, or so he imagined in his dreams.

When would he learn to escape the confines of his insanity?

Mrs. Lovett, on the other hand, still had high hopes that one day he would love her and they would actually live as man and wife, not just have this illusion of a so called 'perfect' life, or marriage for that matter.

They slept in separate rooms, their conversations regarded nothing but going to the market, the weather, and just a simple, "Supper is ready, dear."

She would lie awake at night, alone, thinking about how they never even, well, 'made love' yet.

At their rare meals together in their small kitchen, they sat at separate ends of the table and avoided eye contact as much as possible.

It never really occurred to her until today, when she was at the beach looking for sea shells to decorate their parlor with.

When she stood up from the sand she saw a happily married couple holding hands and kissing. She never knew that two people she never even met before could make her hurt and turn green with envy as much as they did that very day at the beach.


	2. Chapter One

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter One

"I'm back from the beach, dear." Mrs. Lovett announced when she entered the cottage through the front door.

As usual he gave no reply as she placed her bucket of shells on top of the kitchen table.

After seeing the couple at the beach she shed all but one tear and went home, trying not to think about it as much as possible, after all, things could change, right?

That evening had turned out to be one of the rare occasions that Mr. Todd agreed to dine with Mrs. Lovett in their kitchen.

As they ate in silence Mrs. Lovett kept resisting the urge to ask him why, or why they didn't just- She couldn't even explain it to herself, she knew the answer. She knew why. He was still in love with Lucy, this was barely even a real marriage, and most importantly, he didn't love her.

She felt as if she was being suffocated by this silence… she had to say something, start conversation, anything.

"Love?" Mrs. Lovett said as she looked up from the table.

He swallowed before grumbling, "What?"

"Why don't we…" Mrs. Lovett stuttered, "How 'bout we…" Mrs. Lovett was lost for words, all she wanted to do was suggest that they do something together, but she couldn't form the right words, or idea for that matter.

He started to grow annoyed and forced himself to look at her, meeting her with dark eyes, "What?"

"Why don't we go for a nice walk?" Mrs. Lovett suggested, ignoring her other idea.

"Hmmph." He mumbled.

"I take that as a no then?" Mrs. Lovett replied sadly, looking back down at her plate.

Secretly feeling guilty, he rolled his eyes before shaking his head and sighing, "I suppose a short walk won't kill me."

Mrs. Lovett's face suddenly lit up and she smiled, "Oh, do ya really mean it?"

He did nothing but nod his head in response as she immediately started cleaning up dinner.

"Oh I won't be long love, it's an absolutely beautiful evenin' with all the stars out and such…" She rambled on as she worked around him, scraping out and storing some of their leftovers.

When the two finally made their way down to the beach Mrs. Lovett's eyes were shining with happiness as she clung to his arm.

They were walking down the shore as she rested her head on his shoulder and smiled, before frowning when she realized that she was only trying to convince herself that he loved her and that they were a happily married couple. She knew it wasn't true and that there was no 'happily' about it.

"Mista T?" Mrs. Lovett asked, not even trying to get away with calling him by his first name.

"Yes?" He replied in annoyance. They were already having a, well he decided to just call it what it was -

A moon-lit walk along the beach.

"Ain't this nice now?" She began sighing in false contentment as they continued walking, "Jus' you an' me?"

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Lovett." Mr. Todd answered grimly.

She tried not to wince whenever he referred to her as 'Mrs. Lovett', so trying to edge him onto calling her by her first name she suggested, "Ya know, ya could call me Nellie if ya wanted to dear."

"I don't find that necessary, _Mrs. Lovett_."

And after that, no other words were spoken until they got back to the house.

Before they turned on their usual separate ways Mrs. Lovett turned to Mr. Todd and hesitantly took his hand, pulling up to kiss his cheek.

He did nothing but stare down at her awkwardly.

"Why don't… Why don't ya sleep in me room tonight love?" Mrs. Lovett asked, although in the back of her mind she knew very well that this conversation was not likely to end her way.

He continued to look at her before quirking an eye-brow, "What? My room is perfectly fine, goodnight." He turned to proceed down the hall.

Mrs. Lovett bit her lip before stopping him when he reached the door way, "What I mean is, why don't _you_ sleep in bed, with _me_."

He paused. He knew what she was getting at.

"I am not going to sleep with you, Mrs. Lovett." He replied coldly.

"But… We're already married! What 'arm will it do?" She bit her lip, it suddenly occurred to her that she had just blurted out the wrong words.

"What harm will it do? You're lucky I even agreed to marry you!" He yelled at her, staring right into the core of her eyes.

They stared at each other for a long while until his words made their way in and out of her ears and she felt the need to cry right then and there. She turned in a huff and left to her room, not making a sound.

That night Mrs. Lovett lied in her bed fighting the urge to just lose herself in her emotions when she heard her door creak open.

She sat up, hoping to find that Sweeney Todd had changed his mind but frowned when she saw that nothing was there.

_Must be the wind_, she thought before lying back down.

Meanwhile Sweeney Todd stood behind her door, contemplating whether to go in and apologize or not. He didn't want to, but at the same time he did. He felt bad, yes, but she knew very well that he only married her to change their identity.

He sighed, why did he even care to think about it, anyway?


	3. Chapter Two

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Three

Being the stubborn man that he was, he turned back to his room and didn't even think about apologizing.

The next morning at breakfast the two didn't speak as usual, last night was just another conversation left untouched. They wouldn't mention it, every time they had another one of their arguments it was almost always swept under the rug as if forgotten, when each knew that it was most likely to turn up in conversation _again_.

He felt her eyes watch him over the rim of her tea cup as he stared down at his eggs.

"Something the matter dear?" She asked, not expecting a reply.

Mr. Todd simply grumbled something before getting up and leaving to his room.

She knew what the matter was, she knew very well what was wrong with him. He was married to a woman that he didn't love and the woman that he loved was dead.

Mrs. Lovett sighed, putting down her teacup and setting it on its saucer.

"Can't run away from ya problems forever love!" Mrs. Lovett shouted in frustration before kicking the door.

She may have seemed angry on the outside but on the inside she was grieving. Why couldn't he just love her… or at least pretend to, that would be less painful because to know that he at least cared enough to pretend.

But she didn't want to live this lie.

Meanwhile in the backroom the broody man known as Sweeney Todd stared angrily out at the sea.

He remembered all but three things about Lucy. One, she had yellow hair. Two, she had eyes as blue and as deep as the sea. And four, he loved her, oh how he had loved her. He sighed, _loved_.

It then occurred to him that he was in love with nothing but her memory. The memory of her golden waves of hair, the memory of her glistening eyes… He thrived on his memories, his thoughts, and his melancholy remembrance of her. It was now he wondered, _could you be in love with a memory?_

Later on that day Mrs. Lovett was outside sweeping the steps to the door when she heard a rustling in the bushes.

Curiously, she turned around, thinking it to be some sort of a rodent.

She walked over and poked the bush with her broom before she saw a scruffy orange tail poke out of it. Mrs. Lovett got down on her knees and moved the bushes smiling when she realized it was only a cat.

"Well 'ello there." Mrs. Lovett greeted with surprise, it had been a while since she'd last seen a cat… Desperate times did call for desperate measures after all, good thing those pussy cats were quick.

The cat looked up at her with yellow eyes and meowed.

_Mustn't 'ave rabies… _She thought before she cautiously picked it up and carried it into the house

She grinned as soon as it immediately started purring, "So kitty, wot brings ya up 'ere?"

Mrs. Lovett frowned when she saw how skinny it was, not to mention how incredibly dirty it was.

"'ow bout a bath, eh love?" Mrs. Lovett offered as she went out into the washroom, she was pleased to find that the cat followed her and gave her no trouble as she washed it, getting rid of all of the dirt and sand that was embedded into it's fir.

After washing it she found that 'it' happened to be a boy, and that he had long dark orange and light orange fur.

"Well kitty, seems to me that you're gonna need a name…" Mrs. Lovett said as she watched the cat drink down the saucer of milk she put out on the table for him. "Ya know you remind me a lot of this ol' friend my dear Albert once 'ad. A skinny ol' thing 'e was, 'is name was, well…" Suddenly her face lit up with a thought, "Alfred. That's wot 'is name was, say 'ow 'bout we call ya Alfred, eh?"

The cat merely purred in response.

A week went by and still things were the same between Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett, although Mr. Todd saw less of his wife being that she was always out with that bloody cat. She treated it like it was her own little baby of some sort. Not that he minded the extra silence he got when she was busy with the thing, or 'Alfie' as she continuously claimed his name was.

One afternoon, however, things didn't go very well when he went into the kitchen.

He walked in silently, as usual, and watched as she sat at the table, petting Alfred as his sand papery tongue worked on licking up every last drop of milk in the saucer she had set on the table in front of him.

He found it kind of odd how she rambled on and on about the strangest of things to the cat as if it were another person. Sweeney supposed she was lonely or maybe she was just bored, either way he was in need of some gin.

"Afternoon Mrs. Lovett." Mr. Todd said as he walked up behind her.

Mrs. Lovett jumped, causing the milk in the saucer to spill which startled Alfred and made him run out of the house.

"Mista T! Bloody 'ell! What do ya think you're doin' sneakin' up on me like that?" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed as she tried so desperately to soak up the milk from the table with her apron.

He mumbled something as he walked out the door, stubbornly sitting on the bench outside, too annoyed to even remember the gin.

"Ya made 'im run away…" Mrs. Lovett sighed as she cleaned up the rest of the mess.

A few hours past and Alfred still didn't show up, and soon Mrs. Lovett stopped worrying about the cat and thought back to earlier. Perhaps she did overreact. But could she really blame herself?

She really had nothing to care for and the one man that she did actually love was too suborn to even think about loving her back. The same thing was with Albert, Mrs. Lovett cared a great deal about her deceased husband… But over the years she over fed him and he ended up dying shortly after his poor leg came up with gout.

Glancing outside to see if Alfred came back Mrs. Lovett sighed sadly when she saw that the cat was still gone somewhere and that Sweeney Todd was still sitting in the same place he was hours ago.

Mrs. Lovett turned and went to the door, closing it silently behind her before going over and sitting next to her brooding husband.

"I didn't mean to overreact, earlier I mean." Mrs. Lovett began as she felt the warm sea air brush against her face.

"I know." He replied simply, keeping his gaze away from hers.

Mrs. Lovett nodded before thinking about the events of the previous week, "An' about last week, what I said to you, or asked you more like. I jus' been alone all this time an' it was a lot to ask, I guess what I'm trying to say is, is that I'm sorry love."

She took his hands into hers and parted her lips slightly when she saw she had gotten his attention and that he was finally turned on his side to face her on the bench.

She noticed that he said nothing and that he was just staring at her, as if surprised that she had brought it up.

Mrs. Lovett's eyes immediately fell to his lips, they too were parted, she wondered how they would feel against her own. She remembered how at the church, it was just her, him, and the priest. The look on his face was hurtful as soon as the priest announced that he may now kiss the bride. All she got was a lousy kiss on the cheek, then again that was good enough for her.

Soon she found herself grasping his hands tighter with her own, surprised that he hadn't shaken her away from him yet when she lent up to brush her lips lightly against his.

He didn't move, so hesitantly she smiled faintly at him before kissing him lightly on the lips. She was about to pull awkwardly away until she felt him kiss her back.

And there it was, their first kiss as husband and wife.

It was a moment of pure bliss in Mrs. Lovett's mind until she felt him pull away. Her eyes fluttered open to see his hands had moved from her grasp and that his eyes were looking everywhere but at her.

_What have I done? _He thought to himself, shaking his head and turning to go away from her, leaving her sitting there in awe.

* * *

_My, my, my, whatever are we going to do about them?_

_& Wowie, wow wow. Thank you all so much for your support on this story :D It's realll nice. _

_Plus __**MidnaLovesLinktotheendoftime**__ gets a gold star for realizing that the kitty name was for the story =^-^= Good job luvvy ;) Oh and thank you __**lilNellBell**__ for the kitty name. _

_Don't be afraid to make any suggestions for this, it's your story too ya know :)_


	4. Chapter Three

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Four

After he got up and moved away from her he exhaled and shook his head, leaving off of the porch and down to the beach.

She supposed it could have been worse, of course he could have killed her instead.

Although she was a tad bit worried that he just got up and left, angrily as she thought, without a word; she knew he would be back within the next few hours like he always did.

So she waited.

Fifteen minutes went by and she was still sitting on the bench shocked that she had actually _kissed_ Sweeney Todd.

Although it wasn't a _real_ kiss…

It amazed her how he showed no interest in her whatsoever and suddenly she felt him kiss her back. His lips actually attempted to press against hers. It was a shame that there was actually no movement besides that, any average person would have said it was a terrible kiss, that it showed no emotion other than intense confusion and awkwardness.

But this was the love of her life, this was Sweeney Todd, and it only gave her more hope that someday he would grow to love her.

_Wishful thinking. _She thought.

Forty-five minutes passed and it had been an hour and he still wasn't back yet, nor was Alfred.

Would they even come back? Secretly she would rather have the cat come back rather than her husband at the moment, at least that would give her something to love and actually be loved in return. Unlike Mr. Todd who couldn't recognize love even if it at the tip of his nose.

Hours later, the supper she cooked was still sitting on the table and was now cold. The saucer of milk she set outside on the porch in hopes that Alfred would come back and drink it, was still untouched.

She now sat in the parlor, sitting on the settee reading one of the only books she managed to bring with her when they fled from Fleet Street, she hadn't heard anyone come in and was surprised when she felt something drop onto her lap.

Mrs. Lovett looked down from her book and her eyes met Alfred's and when she looked up over the book she saw no one other than Sweeney Todd.

He was back and he had apparently brought Alfred back to her.

Mr. Todd stood in front of her long enough for her to acknowledge his presence and before she could thank him for bringing Alfred back he fled from the room.

She sat back and exhaled for a moment, annoyed that he was obviously in another one of his pissy moods, and pet Alfred that was now purring in her lap.

"Did Mista T bring ya back to me love?" Mrs. Lovett mumbled happily to the cat as she thought about the day's events, "Ya shouldn't run away from me like 'e does though…"

Thinking about the expression on his face when she looked up at him she felt sort of, well, touched that he cared enough to actually bring the cat back to her.

And after a few seconds of sitting with Alfred she picked him up and put him on the spot next to her, getting up and following behind her stubborn husband.

She looked in the backroom for him before realizing that he wasn't there so she walked back up through the halls and stopped when she saw the washroom door ajar, she peeked through it before walking in, his back facing her.

"Love?" Mrs. Lovett said as she stepped in, walking up behind him.

There was no reply, just silence.

"Thank you for bringin' Alfie back to me before Mrs. Mooney got to 'im." Mrs. Lovett began as she placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to swiftly turn around revealing a crimson scratch going down his cheek.

Mrs. Lovett gasped, suddenly feeling bad, "Oh Mista T! What happened?" She asked, already knowing it was probably Alfred.

His brows furrowed together before replying, "That sodding cat."

Mrs. Lovett tried to ignore his comment as she went over and got a wet cloth she immediately started dabbing the cloth over the scratch and saying, "Ya know, 'e didn't mean it love, 'e was probably just scared is s'all."

He sighed, he supposed she was right. After all he did chase the cat like a hungry lion, not to mention when he finally had it in his grasp he dropped it in a puddle of water by mistake.

"I really do appreciate that ya brought 'im back though." She said again, pausing for a second.

Mrs. Lovett flicked her eyes up to glance at him and looked back down when she saw that he was staring at her, which was odd because she has had the scratch cleaned up for moments now. Wasn't he aware that all she was doing now was pretending to be looking at the scratch when in reality her eyes were fixed on his lips? His perfect lips…

Shouldn't he be pushing her away now?

He stood standing there, he thought about slapping her hand away from him when he saw that all she was doing was staring at him… But wait, was he staring at her too?

Seconds passed and he found himself moving slightly down, her eyes shut up and their lips were so close that all she would have to do was move forward a few inches and-

Suddenly he stopped himself, he grabbed her wrist and put it down to her side, causing her to cast an awkward glance up at him.

"Thank you." He mumbled before putting his hand over the wetness on his cheek.

"I, I had a plate ready for ya on the table, it's probably cold now but I could warm it back up for ya if ya like." Mrs. Lovett said, trying to get over the fact that she was so close to kissing him again.

"That's alright, Mrs. Lovett." Replied Mr. todd.

"Ya know it's not Mrs. Lovett anymore, really." She gestured.

He frowned, "I am not going to call you Nellie and I am most certainly not going to call you Mrs. _Todd_." He spat angrily.

"Well why not? It doesn't 'urt anybody." Mrs. Lovett snapped in annoyance.

Truth be told, it kind of hurt him, but he wasn't willing to admit that. Not to mention he didn't like being reminded that he was married to her. "Why does it bother you so much anyways?"

"Because I'm your wife!" She yelled. "An;… an' I…" She stuttered.

"What? I have no idea why you are making such a big deal out nothing, now what is it?" Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just kill her and then himself, for if he did he would be put of his misery and she would no longer annoy him. Then again he was pretty sure they were going to hell so she would probably annoy him there too.

"I…I…"

"Spit it out woman!"

"I love you."

_He knew it! _He knew that that was why she was always acting weird around him… Why she kissed him, why she was almost always insisting that they did things together… Deep down he supposed he knew all along but he would never bring himself to see it.

"Well I don't love you." He said harshly, too annoyed to even think about sparring her feelings.

She bit her lip, _why did she even tell him?!_

When she did nothing and continued to stand there he started pacing back and forth before stopping and turning back in front of her, "You married me with the knowledge that I don't love you."

"That doesn't mean you never could." She choked out.

"I would," He began, ignoring the pain he saw in her eyes. "I could," He corrected, "I could never ever love you."

And with those words said, Mrs. Lovett turned and left to her room.

When she got to her bedroom, she turned and shut her door silently, resting her forehead on it.

Their argument reminded her too much of the one's they always had about their relationship, only this one was worse.

He actually told her that he didn't love her. Mrs. Lovett may have already known that hurtful fact, but it didn't mean that she wanted to hear it, hearing it only brought her crashing back to the reality that she was trapped in a loveless marriage.

* * *

_Tuneparg xD Such a funny word…_

_Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting! _

_I intended on updating earlier but I had a busy week, not to mention I have been kinda sick. There are times where I just want to pull a Red Forman and shove my foot up Sweeney's ass… ha ha._

_Feel free to suggest anything and what-not, have a nice day/night!_


	5. Chapter Four

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Five

Fresh tears slid down her reddened cheeks and she turned before smiling. Alfred was sitting on her bed looking up at her with his bright yellow eyes.

Mrs. Lovett scolded herself and wiped her eyes before kneeling next to her bed and sighing, she supposed it was her fault she was in the mess that she was in. Being as selfish as she was, she married him out of hope, and secretly vain. She knew that it wasn't what he had wanted to do in order to cover up her identity. She knew that he never really wanted her, that the only thing he ever wanted was his old life back. Which just so happened to be Lucy and Johanna. His yellow haired lambs.

Did she really even love Sweeney Todd? Or was she just starving for companionship? Being alone all those years, you begin to wonder. Maybe she felt like how Sweeney Todd felt towards his razors. They too were locked out of sight all those years. But so was she, she was alone as well, until he showed up, as tired and as lonely as she was.

Thinking of this she realized that maybe it was because she was lonely and he was just as lonely as she was. But now she had Alfred like he had himself and his razors to keep himself company.

Then again she had never experienced the intense feelings that she got when he was near her.

How her heart felt like leaping out of her chest whenever he came as much as a foot near her, how her pale cheeks turned a slight blush of rosy red, and most importantly how much she yearned to touch him and kiss him.

It was then she grew curious as to what would happen if they were to kiss again…

Would his tongue slip past her lips? Would he run away like he did before? Or would he stay and let her melt into him?

Their first kiss consisted mainly of their lips being pressed awkwardly against the other's, but a kiss was a kiss. She was certain he didn't mean it, he only did it because he was probably annoyed with her constant need for them to play 'house' in a way. Wasn't that what they were doing though? Playing 'pretend'? Here they were, two adults living together, married, and they weren't even 'together'. It was just another game to them, or him at least.

The next morning during breakfast they were back at that same situation again, the situation where neither of them spoke and both pretended that nothing had happened the night before.

"Would you pass the sugar, dear?" Mrs. Lovett asked without looking up, when she received no response she got up and exhaled annoyingly before picking up the sugar bowl and carrying it to her spot at the other end of the table.

Later on in the afternoon Mrs. Lovett sat outside, finicking with the numerous flowerbeds that she had on the side of the cottage. She looked up and saw that the sun had been hidden by a mask of grey clouds.

She sighed, knowing it was probably going to rain and pulled a daisy from the ground. She smirked before plucking a pearly white petal from the stem, "'E love me, 'e loves me not, 'e loves me-"

Meanwhile in the back room of the cottage Sweeney Todd watched the sky darken with satisfaction. He hated living by the seaside, although it was free of the crowds back on Fleet Street, it was all too bright and lively. With the seagulls constantly cawing as they passed by the house, Mrs. Lovett's constant want for him to go for a walk with her, not to mention the sound of the waves swishing across the seashore every time a tide came in.

Sometime he wondered why he didn't just sail the world like he did before, nobody would ever know where he went and someday if he was lucky enough his corpse would wash up on shore.

Then again it was no use, the memories of Lucy and Johanna would never go away. Besides, married life may have been a bitch when it came to Mrs. Lovett, but at least he knew that someone in the world cared.

"'E loves me not." Mrs. Lovett said as she plucked the last petal from the stem, staring at it in disbelief, knowing that the silly superstition was likely telling the truth.

An hour later the sky grew darker and she was sure it was going to rain any time now, so she went looking for Alfred.

Down at the beach Mrs. Lovett was confronted by a woman by the name of Addie Henry. She was in her early sixties and lived with her husband in Southampton. Addie Henry was the type of woman that would drink water with wildflowers in her glass, she was generally a kind woman but she wasn't afraid to ask questions, especially personal ones.

"You must be one of the newlyweds." Addie began after they exchanged greetings.

Mrs. Lovett just smiled politely, signaling that she was correct.

Normally Mrs. Lovett would have been happy to carry on a conversation with someone new, but, it had been a while since she talked to anyone other than Alfred, and Sweeney Todd wasn't much for chatting.

"Mrs. Todd is it?" Addie asked, she, for one, was much for chatting.

"That would be me." Mrs. Lovett nodded.

"Oh you must be so 'appy!" Addie went on, as Mrs. Lovett stood, unsure what to say. "I remember back when me and me 'usband Samuel was married, of course 'e was in better shape then, I suppose-"

Samuel Henry was a short, skinny and quiet old man. He was a decade or so older than his wife but was kind and tightfisted, times were hard after all.

Mrs. Lovett opened her mouth and was about to bid the woman goodbye when she started talking again. "But your 'usband must be a complete wonder in bed." Addie added, pausing for a second to shift her basket of eggs to her other arm.

It wasn't very ladylike to discuss personal matters such as what happens in the bed of a husband and wife but, like it was noted before, _Addie Henry wasn't afraid to ask questions, especially personal ones._

"I wouldn't know." Mrs. Lovett suddenly mumbled before closing her mouth, hoping she didn't hear.

"What was that dear? I didn't quite hear you. My hearing s'not as good as it used to be." Addie replied, taking another step towards the slightly annoyed 'newlywed.' She hated being reminded that she wasn't even _close_ to sleeping with her new husband.

"Nothing, it was nice meeting you." Mrs. Lovett said, masking her face with a fake smile and turning to go back up to the house.

She hoped that Alfred would be there waiting for her.

When she got back to the house, it's volume was at its usual minimum, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of her boots clicking against the wooden floors.

"Alfred… Come 'ere kitty, kitty, kitty…" Mrs. Lovett called as she walked through the parlor, hoping to find him curled up on the settee, but frowned when she saw nothing but a lifeless room.

"'Ave you seen Alfred dear?" Mrs. Lovett asked during supper that evening.

"Not since this morning." He answered gruffly, not even looking up at her.

After another silent supper with nothing but the sounds of the rain patting against the roof, Mrs. Lovett continued her search for her cat and finally decided to look in the last place she thought Alfred would be, the back room.

Alfred seemed have to kept his distance from Sweeney Todd after their scratching incident the other day. So Mr. Todd was surprised when he saw Alfred come out from under his desk.

Alfred yawned and stretched his rather plump self out (he had gained a considerably vast amount of weight in the last few weeks) and hopped up onto Mr. Todd's desk.

"Mista T is Alfred in-" Mrs. Lovett began when she walked into the room, stopping when she met eyes with Alfred.

Mrs. Lovett smiled when she saw the cat jump down from the desk and rub his side against Sweeney's leg.

Mr. Todd frowned and annoyingly stepped away from the cat, and before he could ask her to take Alfred and let him be, Mrs. Lovett started to speak.

"Aww, don't be that way now, luvvy, 'e likes you." Mrs. Lovett smirked, walking over and leaning against his desk.

He grumbled and faced her, "Is there something you need?"

_Besides you? _She was tempted to say but decided to tell the truth besides that, "I was jus' lookin' for Alfie, an' now I jus' figured I'd say goodnight."

His brows furrowed together when she rested her palms on his desk and she gazed up at him. It was apparent that she wasn't planning on leaving until he said goodnight as well.

"Goodnight then." He said and she smiled faintly, leaning her head up to kiss the corner of his mouth.

When she pulled away, the expression on his face was a cross between dazed and frozen.

She was surprised, however, when he lent down and awkwardly kissed exactly where she had just kissed him.

When he was about to pull quickly away she risked it all by cleverly turning her head and capturing his lips with hers.

Mrs. Lovett no longer had to wonder what would happen if they were to kiss again because most of her questions had just been answered-

His tongue slipped past her lips, he wasn't running away like he did before, and the only thing she was unsure of was whether or not he would stay and let her melt into him.

* * *

_Ooh, what's gonna happen next? Will Mister Todd run away again?_

_Cause that would be no fun...  
_

_Hotcakes oh hotcakes, I have been so busy at school, not to mention I am doing this after school Virtual World thingy, it sucks D:  
_

_I am so excited for the chapters to come… _

_Which reminds me, do you guys (ladies whatever xD) like drama and all that?_

_Teehee, anyways, I would like to mention that this chapter is dedicated to all of you reviewers and readers. Not to mention Fiona Apple for her song, "If we kissed." That inspired this chapter some._


	6. Chapter Five

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Six

She could hardly believe what was happening. As their kiss deepened, his hands snaked themselves around her waist, lifting her up onto the desk and roaming up and down her back.

This feeling was something she so long had craved for. She couldn't even count all of the times that she was tempted to grab him and kiss him, kind of like what he was doing to her now.

Mr. Todd pulled slightly away to catch his breath before he met eyes with Mrs. Lovett.

So much emotion and anxiety filled each other's gaze. Neither said anything as he grabbed her arm and led her over to his bed.

Each step that she took behind him was like another step closer to something she had always wanted and only came true in her wildest fantasies.

She looked at him nervously before he grabbed her and kissed her roughly, pushing her onto the bed and hovering over her. Then again, a fantasy was a fantasy. In her dreams he was a soft and gentle lover-

Most of the time.

But in reality she supposed she always knew that he would be a rough and aggressive like man in bed. Kind of like how he was around the clock. She didn't care though, because it was _him_.

Before she could say anything or ask him if he was sure he wanted this he ran his hands up and down her corseted stomach.

She was confused by his actions, she had no idea what had gotten over him. So without thinking anything more, Mrs. Lovett gave in.

She kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed her, she was more gentle, of course, much unlike him. Slowly she started to unbutton his shirt, hoping he wouldn't swat her hands away.

He didn't, which assured her it was all right and suddenly a sharp gasp escaped Mrs. Lovett's no longer occupied lips when he bit down on her neck.

Mrs. Lovett was indeed surprised and was no longer uncertain if this was a dream or not, the stinging sensation she was getting from this told her that it wasn't.

Here she was, beneath him, pinned to the bed as a series of fervent kisses took place. His hands roaming everywhere around her, lips mapping out her neck and clothing being the only thing between them. That is if you slipped the technicalities such as his lack of love for her.

But when her hands went to his trousers, the room seemed to have grown pregnant and heavy with more intensity.

Carefully, yet quickly, she undid them and was too busy to notice Sweeney's sudden want to push her away.

But he was too late, when she pulled them down to finally see _him_ for the first time, Ms. Lovett froze and awkwardly looked up at the ceiling.

Some parts of him obviously did not like the idea of them sleeping together…

_Oh my god. _Mrs. Lovett thought to herself nervously. "What's wrong? Did I do something?" She asked frantically, finally finding the courage to look at him, hoping he wouldn't pull her eyes out of her sockets for seeing what she just saw.

The expression on his face was blank but she knew that he was embarrassed and slightly agitated by the tone of his voice, "No." He suddenly snapped, getting off of her and righting his clothing.

He turned to the window and let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, "Go." He said plainly, not even finding the need or want to look at her, "Go!" He yelled and she obeyed, getting up and scuttling to the door.

She paused, however, as soon as her fingertips touched the doorknob.

Never in Mrs. Lovett's had she felt so unwanted, so unattractive…

She couldn't help but think that she did something wrong, surely something must have gone bad in order for _that_ to happen.

Turning she saw him glaring out the window angrily, just like he always did. Staring, she figured, had grown to be a habit for the former barber. A habit, in which, she had grown to slightly pick up.

Four very silent steps was all it took for her to stand behind him and one very brave movement to place her trembling hand on his shoulder.

With sympathy for him and somewhat herself she whispered, "I'm sorry I'm not good enough for ya, I'm sorry for any distress that I have caused you, and I _apologize_ that I ain't pretty like she was."

She then turned back around and went to the door, but before she slipped out of the room she closed her eyes letting a few tears slide down her face.

And once again, it was back to silence.

After a very painful and awkward breakfast the next morning Mrs. Lovett cussed angrily at her husband that hadn't even looked at her since their encounter last evening.

"Bloody arse…" Mrs. Lovett mumbled as she wiped down the table and cleared off the teacups and utensils. "Lucy… Lucy… Lucy…." She murmured under her breath, mocking the brute that was in the back room.

Deep down Mrs. Lovett had always felt sorry and sad as to what happened on Fleet Street fifteen years ago, sixteen in a few months. He had the ideal life. A charming bride, a beautiful daughter, and was one of the most respected and most proper barber in London.

But that was all taken from him…

She let out a sigh, perhaps she had it coming to her.

"Yoo hoo!" A voice coming from behind the kitchen door that led outside called.

Mrs. Lovett turned herself quickly around and went to the door, opening it and finding who she thought it was in the first place, Addie Henry.

"Mrs. Henry." Mrs. Lovett greeted, "Won't you come in?"

The older woman's eyes brightened and she smiled ear-to-ear, "Yes, thank ya."

"I brought ya some eggs." Addie began as she placed her basket on the kitchen table, "Samuel doesn't really eat eggs and being that it's just us and Hamish, there is really no point to have all them eggs taken up room."

"Hamish?" Mrs. Lovett inquired.

"Our dog, a big oaf is more like it," Addie laughed, "Oh but he's just the sweetest thing..."

"I'm sure." Mrs. Lovett smiled, although Mrs. Henry was one of the most talkative woman she knew, besides herself, she was glad to have someone to socialize with other than her cat and brick wall of a husband.

Their conversation from then on consisted of mainly Addie doing most of the talking about Hamish, Samuel, and other numerous things that crossed Mrs. Henry's mind.

"Ya know I just think it's so wonderful that you stopped by." Mrs. Lovett said, lying partly.

It wasn't that Mrs. Lovett found Mrs. Henry annoying, it was just she reminded her all too much of her old bubbly self. And lately it seemed as though she was loosing more and more of herself everyday. Not to mention she was afraid she would say something to break her and Mr. Todd's cover.

Which is why she wondered why she asked the question she blurted out when Mrs. Henry was about to leave.

"Why don't you and your husband come over for supper tonight?"

Addie's eyes suddenly became wide-eyed and overjoyed when Mrs. Lovett's suggestion rung through her ears, "Oh I'd love to!"

"Alright," Mrs. Lovett said not even thinking about how idiotic that was before finishing her sentence, "I'll see you at around six then."

"Will do, Mrs. Todd, will do." And with that Addie Henry took her basket and headed out the door.

Mrs. Lovett smiled as she watched her soon-to-be dinner guest's figure got smaller and smaller as she walked further away from the cottage.

_Finally. _She thought. _Finally_ she would have some real company for once. But soon that smile was replaced with a frown when she remembered her husbands temper and how she might have just made a horrible mistake.

Then again, what could happen? Mrs. Addie Henry didn't seem to be aware of who she was, nor was she suspicious of her and Mr. Todd's marriage. She supposed it couldn't be too bad.

After all, what would the sea be without chums over ev'ry Friday?

* * *

_Dinner with the Henry's?_

_That is going to be interesting, what's Mr. Todd going to think?_

_o.O_

_Speaking of Mr. Todd, did anyone see THAT coming? _

_& if you still don't know what happened there… well…. Little Sweeney didn't want to come out to say hello and go for a joy ride, let's just leave it at that._

_The man has issues, what can I say?_

_lmao, sorry it took so long to get this up I have been really busy lately. Last Sunday I got a blue ribbon (first place) at the Science Fair for that Virtual World thing I have been doing after school :D Teehee I went to the dentist on Friday and the lady that cleaned my teeth had one of the most cutest laugh xD Plus I kept thinking about the movie "Novocaine."_

_Hahahahhahaa, until next time ;) _


	7. Chapter Six

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Seven

"You did what?!" Were the first words he said, or more likely yelled, to her since their encounter last evening.

"I-I invited them to supper." Mrs. Lovett repeated hesitantly as she continued to chop up onions.

Although her back was turned to him she could still feel his eyes piercing angrily through her body.

"You may be many things, Mrs. Lovett but I never ever thought you would be so daft that you would invite a couple that you hardly even know over for supper!" He spat, and suddenly she turned around, eyes watery from the onions and her frustration with him.

She glared at him and took a step towards him.

He backed away, startled, when he saw that she had the knife she had been cutting onions with, in her hand.

"We are having them for supper tonight and you are going to act like a decent human being for once or I will kill you." It was the first time Mrs. Lovett had ever even dared to be threatening or violent towards Mr. Todd, for she knew that he could slit her throat in an instant. But right now she was fed up with all of his selfish demeanors and rotten attitude.

"Go on then, you'd be doing me a favor." He replied with irritation as she stared up at him, the knife's blade pointed at his neck.

Mrs. Lovett faltered, glancing at him and the knife as if she was seriously thinking about it.

Mr. Todd chuckled and smirked before grabbing her wrist and taking the knife from her hand, he then leaned her over the table and held the sharp object dangerously against her neck.

"You wouldn't..." She managed to squeak out.

"Oh but I would." He replied nonchalantly before lowering the knife and noticing her worried gaze.

Mrs. Lovett continued to wait and watch him for any sign indicating that he was going to stop frightening her and let her go. But right when she gave up and lowered her eyes to the floor she saw him lean down and suddenly his hand lifted up her chin.

He grinned at her a moment, the way he was looking at her being a cross from a sneer to affection, and then, out of no where, he placed a slow kiss upon her lips.

He tasted her lips for a few moments before he felt her begin to kiss back, and as soon as that happened, he stopped and rested his lips against her own for a few seconds.

And then he let her go, handed her the knife and turned back around, "I'll see you at supper." He said as he went back to the backroom.

From then on Mrs. Lovett didn't know if it was just the onions making her eyes water or the fact that her arrogant husband kept sending her more and more mixed messages everyday.

Later on that evening, a half hour after six, dinner had finally been dished out and everyone was seated.

It was a shame, however, that Mr. and Mrs. Henry insisted that Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett sat next to each other, and what was even more shameful was that the two weren't prepared for some of the evening's discussion topics.

"Oh Samuel do say something." Addie whispered to her husband as they sat across the silent Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett.

Samuel nodded, it was apparent who wore the pants in their relationship.

"So…" Mr. Henry began before taking a sip from his whiskey tin.

"Samuel!" Addie hissed as she elbowed him, "Put that bloody thing away!"

"Oh come on Addie, maybe you could use a sip, add some pep to your step." He answered, obviously making his wife mad.

"Give me that." Addie mumbled before taking it away from him.

Mrs. Lovett was now resisting the urge to let out a laugh as she watched the couple quarrel across from her and when she glanced over at Mr. Todd she could see that his lips were trying to stifle a grin as well.

Samuel was just about to open his mouth to protest before Addie glared at him, he then sighed and looked over at Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett.

"How come I haven't seen you two down at the beach? I mean, Addie and I visit here every other weekend..." He asked, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

Addie grinned and cut in, "Oh you know them newlyweds, I bet they hardly ever leave the bedroom."

Samuel and Addie laughed while Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett sat there, quiet as a couple of mice being hunted by a cat.

Mrs. Lovett cleared her throat and turned her head back around as soon as Mr. Todd returned her awkward glance.

"'eavens you two 'ave been silent throughout all of supper, so tell me, are you two love birds planning on having any children?" Addie asked as she looked back at the flushing couple.

Before Mrs. Lovett could answer Mr. Todd chimed in with a firm, "No."

Addie's smile soon faded away, "Oh."

"Wonderful weather we've been having." Mrs. Lovett said, changing the subject, hurt yet not surprised by her husbands answer.

"Oh yes, it certainly 'as been nice, unlike that rain we had a few days ago." Addie replied.

"But Addie, you and I met in a rainstorm, remember? All those years ago." Samuel said, smiling.

"Oh Samuel ya remember!" Addie exclaimed, looking over at her husband with bright eyes.

"Of course I do, it was only thirty years ago." Samuel grinned, taking his wife's hand and squeezing it before looking back over at Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett.

"When did you two meet?" Mrs. Henry asked, gazing at the almost afraid looking couple before him.

Mrs. Lovett hesitated, although she knew the answer, before Sweeney answered, "Almost twenty years ago I would say."

Mrs. Lovett blushed a moment, _he_ remembered.

"Really? All that time ya been together before gettin' married." Addie commented after swallowing and taking another bite of her food.

"No, we weren't together. Not since recently." Sweeney replied, half lying.

"I see." Samuel nodded, trying to be active in their conversation.

Mrs. Lovett smiled at Samuel and Addie before shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

From across the table Mrs. Henry had a perfect view of the mark on Mrs. Lovett's neck that Sweeney had left the night before.

"Oh dear, love what 'appened to yer neck?" Addie asked, almost exclaiming it.

Everyone's attention seemed to have been suddenly drawn to her as all six eyes rested on the spot on her neck.

Mrs. Lovett flushed before moving her hand to put an auburn curl over the mark to cover it.

"T-That silly thing? It's jus' from, from Alfred, 'e's jus' a playful little thing…" Mrs. Lovett said hesitantly, darting her eyes around the room.

"Must be quite the frisky devil…" Addie murmured before gesturing to Samuel.

Throughout the rest of dinner there were no more painful questions that neither Mr. Todd nor Mrs. Lovett really had the answer to and they were relieved when the Henry's finally went home.

"Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Todd." Mr. Henry said before nodding his head and following his wife out of the house.

"Goodnight." Mrs. Lovett replied, sighing as she shut the door and went to clear the table.

Late that night, so late that it was probably in the morning, he came into her bedroom.

He walked in quietly, his breathing steady along with his footsteps and sat himself on the edge of her bed beside her.

He turned to the side as she faced the wall and put his hand on her back. He sighed as the cool night wind blew in from the window and looked down at her still form.

"You know, what happened last night... and earlier," He cleared his throat, "Really, really wasn't meant to happen."

The moonlight danced on her papery skin giving it the illusion that it was sparkling which made him remember what she said to him last night, "It's not that I find you undesirable, It's just that, that, I can't when I don't… When I don't feel that way about you."

He paused for a second before shifting uncomfortably and speaking again, "An- And I _know_ you could never be her, you just have to understand that we could never be. I'm sorry."

He then stood up, frustrated and exhaled before leaving the room.

Alfred was purring on Mrs. Lovett's lap the very next morning at breakfast as she quietly finished the last of her tea and kept her eyes on her now empty plate.

Tired of the silence and the fact that he was in the presence of her he finally decided to go back to his room. But just as he reached the doorway he heard Mrs. Lovett's voice-

"I wasn't asleep. Last night, I mean."

"I know." He replied softly, continuing his way down the hall.

And within a matter of minutes, she came following after him.

She opened his door just a crack to see his back facing towards her.

Mrs. Lovett cautiously stepped into the room and walked behind him.

This wasn't going to be something that was going to be swept under the rug. It was not going to be another conversation left untouched. But she knew very well that that was how he wanted it to be.

* * *

_I went to the dentist again today… & this time my dentist gave me sooo much Novocaine that I had no feeling in the right side of my face (the laughing gas gives me weird terrors) xD It was weird, it last for like three hours and just stopped._

_Oh and guess what betches?!_

_Mrs. Lovett's first name is officially "Nellie" even Helena Bonham Carter says that._

_Omb (inside joke ha ha) There is this video on you tube and she is talking about how her and Tim sort of named their daughter after Mrs. Lovett and she even says "Nellie Lovett…. I mean Nellie Burton." ha ha, that's so damn cute!_

_And by the wayyy…. How would you feel if I brought Toby, Johanna and Anthony back into dee story?_

_Opinions please, have a happy Easter!_

_Omfg, this is the last thing I swear… but… WERE YOU AWARE THAT TIM BURTON'S ALICE AND WONDERLAND WILL BE IN IMAX 3-D?_


	8. Chapter Seven

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Eight

Mrs. Lovett didn't know what to say, and if she were to say anything she wasn't too sure on what he would do.

_What did she want now? _Sweeney thought annoyingly as he stared out the window at the treacherous sea.

"Yes?" He asked quietly, his back still turned to her.

"I just wanted to thank you for being civil at supper last night is s'all." She replied quickly, failing to conceal the real reason why she followed him back to his room.

He then turned around and stared at her unusually quiet self before him. "Is that all?"

She took her hands off of her hips and nervously started to fumble with her fingers as her eyes dropped to the ground.

"Well get on with it." Mr. Todd said.

"Did you-" She mumbled, "Did ya really mean what ya said?"

"Wha-" He paused for a second before realizing what she meant, "Yes."

She smiled at the fact that Mr. Todd didn't find her undesirable as she thought before frowning when she remembered the other thing he said to her last night.

"_-__you just have to understand that we could never be."_

His words, she knew, were meant to be somewhat kind. But to her it was one of the coldest things he could have ever said to her especially, _"I don't love you."_

"Why can't you just accept the fact that I love you?" Mrs. Lovett questioned.

"Because I don't love you!" He growled angrily, he was getting a bit tired with practically having the same conversation everyday. "How many times do I have to tell you?!" He yelled, "I don't love you Mrs. Lovett!"

"Mrs. Todd." She mumbled.

"What?"

"It's Mrs. Bloody Todd."

He shook his head, "You know that I didn't marry you because I loved you, and you know I never can. I love Lucy, I will always love Lucy, and I'm afraid that you're not her."

"Why did you marry me then?" Mrs. Lovett snapped, placing her hands back on her hips. "It didn't have to be this way, you _know_ you could have left on a ship somewhere. You _know_ you didn't have to stay with me."

Mrs. Lovett had just reached Sweeney Todd's boiling point.

His mouth was now gaping open, eyes wide and infuriated.

"Because I need you." He spat, pacing around the room. "I felt like I owed it to you, you helped me with everything… And I-" He paused to look her straight in her eyes, "I don't love you but I need you."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, looking like she was filled with so much emotion for this man- Anger, love, frustration, need…

"That doesn't change anything." She spoke suddenly, dropping her hands from her hips again and looking up at him sadly, "You only need me because I am the only person left in this world that could ever love you."

The expression on the former barber's face had changed from frustrated to bewildered within a matter of seconds after Mrs. Lovett left, slamming the door behind her.

Sometimes admitting things out loud gave your words of admittance the illusion that they were indeed as true as you meant them.

But in Sweeney Todd's case he wasn't sure if they were exactly facts set in stone, so he felt guilty and had the urge to apologize.

Something entirely out of character for a man such as himself.

Later on in the afternoon, after hours of contemplating whether or not to apologize, Sweeney Todd caved and soon found himself walking up behind her in the kitchen.

Mrs. Lovett was startled when she felt his cold fingertips touch her shoulder, but she relaxed when she realized it was only him.

He noticed that she was ignoring him the second she went back to chopping up carrots.

"Mrs-" He stopped knowing that calling her that would probably make her angrier with him than she already was and cleared his throat, "Pet."

"Hmm?" She grumbled annoyingly.

He sighed knowing that this wasn't going to be easy, especially when she was obviously being stubborn.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier." He replied after clearing his throat.

Suddenly she paused and rested her hand on the counter, tilting the knife in her hand as she did so. She moved her other hand on the counter, as if to steady herself and exhaled.

"Sorry ain't gonna make anything better, it's s'not going to change anything." Mrs. Lovett began, "Besides, we both know you're only saying that so I'll keep treatin' ya like the bloody baby you are."

He tried to ignore her harsh words knowing that some of what she said was probably true and grumbled, "I am."

"No you're not." She stated firmly before resuming back to cutting up carrots.

Mr. Todd then tried to turn her around by putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't you bloody touch me." Mrs. Lovett mumbled as she tried to get his hands off of her.

His patience with her was now holding onto a thread.

"Will you look at me woman?!" Sweeney barked, causing her to spin around abruptly.

Mr. Todd didn't noticed the knife Mrs. Lovett still had in her right hand and walked into it, causing him to clench down in pain.

Mrs. Lovett dropped the knife that was now covered in her husband's blood and walked a few steps over to Mr. Todd, who was clutching onto his wound.

"Mista T, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Mrs. Lovett gasped when she saw that the bottom left side of Sweeney's shirt was now soaked in blood.

"Come with me dear, come on." Mrs. Lovett exclaimed nervously as Mr. Todd put his arm around her so she could help him to her room.

Mrs. Lovett put him on her bed and fumbled around her room looking for something to bandage his wound with. She grabbed an old rag and leaned over him, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a deep cut on his left abdomen.

"Stay with me love, stay with me…" Mrs. Lovett pleaded as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, unknowingly smearing his blood on herself as she did so.

The last thing Sweeney Todd remembered before blacking out was the frantic look upon her face as she tried so desperately to bandage him, not to mention the piercing pain in his stomach as he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Oh my, and the worst thing is, they can't go to a doctor!_

_I hope he's alright…_

_Tomorrow at 2:00pm I am going to see Sweeney Todd the musical! Yay :D_

_Anyways, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!_

_I really do appreciate it and I know I don't normally reply to reviews but, I really do enjoy reading what you think and if you want I'll reply to them I just don't know what to say lol_

_But for now, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing the last chapter:_

_**TrixieFirecracker, lilNellBell, Lovinett, Scarlett Masquerade, ThemPussieCatsIsQuick, & Todd666.**_

_And the people that read it, you're loved too! I just don't know who you are lol_

_P.S. I was fer cereal about Tim Burton's upcoming "Alice In Wonderland" being in IMAX 3-D!_


	9. Chapter Eight

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Nine

Mrs. Lovett put her hand over the blood-soaked bandages, strategically pressing against his wound to help make it stop bleeding.

It wasn't until a few hours later when Sweeney Todd had finally awoke, much to Mrs. Lovett's relief. Mr. Todd's eyes opened half-way, just enough to see a blurry sight of his wife putting something on his wound.

"What are you doing?" He mumbled, as if he had just been under anesthesia.

She smiled aptly, happy to hear his voice again. "They're leeches love, make ya heal faster."

"Hmm?"

"It'll keep yer blood flowin' an' make sure it won't clot…. Just don't don't worry about it." She snapped back oddly, she was still frazzled from almost losing the love of her life, after all.

"Mhhmm." He grumbled, attempting to sit up.

Mrs. Lovett lightly pushed him back down and then told him to relax and to let her go on with what she was doing.

It wasn't until the second following when he realized how calm she seemed to be acting. But that thought gave him the chance to observe this closer. When he looked up at her he saw that her face was smeared with blood, which he figured to be his, and her eyes looked sad but at the same time relieved.

As soon as she was finished with wrapping his wound up tightly, he cleared his throat, forcing her gaze to snap over to his. "It's alright." He said, staring right at her, trying to light a fuse somewhere in her mind letting her know that he was aware that she was worried and that he knew that she would never have stabbed him on purpose. Although secretly he wished that he had died, as soon as the sharp blade of the knife pierced through his skin, he hoped for death.

Sadly for him, there was no internal bleeding.

Mrs. Lovett's eyes suddenly watered as she continued to stare at him. "I'm sorry." She whispered, shaking her head, "I was so angry and you jus' walked into the kn-knife… I thought I killed you…"

Sympathy suddenly washed over him after seeing that she was shaking. "You can't kill a man that's already dead."

She looked back at him again, her gaze that was once filled with sadness was now filled with bewilderment.

Finally understanding what he meant, Mrs. Lovett suddenly let out a sob that she had been suppressing for the last few hours and collapsed her head in the crook of his neck, careful not to hurt him.

Sweeney winced and was shocked at the sudden contact and lied there awkwardly for a moment as he felt Mrs. Lovett's warm tears soak through the fabric of his shirt.

Mr. Todd hesitantly lifted his arm up to pat her back and shushed her.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She repeated over and over again.

In some ways you could say that Mrs. Lovett was somewhat apologizing to herself for falling in love with him in the first place, especially when he wasn't planning on returning her affections for him anytime soon.

"Do stop crying pet." He said softly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with her being as physically close to him as she was.

Mrs. Lovett suddenly regained her senses and sat up from him, her eyes puffy and red.

Looking away from him to glance in the mirror she bowed her head down in embarrassment before sighing. "Look at me… I'm a bloody mess."

She started to get up to leave the room when her wrist was grabbed by her husband's strong hand. "Come here." He grumbled, angry with himself for actually feeling sorry for her.

Mrs. Lovett sat back down and was surprised when he took the wet cloth that she had on his head and started wiping her face with it, ridding it of the blood and tears.

"I'm-"

"Shhh…" He cut her off and pulled her down onto the bed with him.

Mrs. Lovett cuddled herself up beside him, confused that he wasn't yelling at her and being mean to her like he always was and exhaled.

Perhaps a good stab in the stomach was what he needed all along. Or maybe he was just trying to get her to be quiet and finally let him be. Either way, he was being nice, for now.

As soon as the couple fell fast asleep, Alfred came and curled up right between the two, nestling comfortably against them and purring contentedly to the beat of their broken hearts.

* * *

**NrrrdGrrrl I don't deserve you, I don't get the references you refer to xD **

_I have that song stuck in my head._

_Well, yes, I am back. Like I wrote in my note I have had a lot going on and besides sometimes you need a break._

_Sorry for the shortness, but… I have good news for you! _

_The Virtual World program I was doing is over and I now have more time and energy to update! I am going to miss it though… 'specially mahh Lost (the TV show) buddy Lennon :(_

_Oh wells, he's in sixth grade so it sucks that I can't hang with 'im. & Terday I had my 8th__ Grade Science Exam… I hope I did alright! Hmm, I just helped my 82 year old aunt to the bathroom and stuff, I hope she is starting to feel better… Well TATA for now, loveee youu._

_Thank you to all of the ladies and gents that gave me all of your opinions and answers to the few questions I had… Have a loverly day…_


	10. Chapter Nine

_Illusions that Confine Us_

Chapter Ten

For the next week and a half things at the Todd residence seemed to have cooled down since their accident on that fateful day. With Mrs. Lovett nursing her husband back to health and all.

Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett spoke nothing of what happened the day she accidentally stabbed him, both found it best not to. Especially being that Mrs. Lovett was embarrassed that her husband had actually witnessed her crying and he actually attempted to comfort her, something he never wanted to find himself doing.

Mrs. Lovett hummed quietly to herself as she took her time scrubbing her bedding that she had neglected to do since her beloved Mr. Todd slept on them. Nothing happened between them, no, but it was nice to know that he cared enough to let her at least sleep in the same bed with him, even if it was just for one night.

Some might have found the fact that she found an odd amount of pleasure in sleeping in the sheets that he slept in for a night strange, but she just called it love.

When she was satisfied with her work, Mrs. Lovett tried her best to squeeze as much of the water out of the sheets as she could and proceeded on taking them outside to hang on the line.

On her way to her clothing line, she chuckled when she saw Alfred follow behind her, his fur waving in the warm breeze.

Secretly she was glad he walked into her kitchen knife. It showed her that there was still hope that someday he would grow to love her. Because looking out into the sea, her dreams didn't look too far away. And she hoped that maybe, just maybe, it was fate's way of telling her not to give up and that all good things come to those who can wait.

After she was finished with hanging her sheets on the line Mrs. Lovett picked up her small wicker laundry basket and made her way back inside to make Mr. Todd his breakfast.

"Good morning dear." Mrs. Lovett said as she entered his room, his breakfast tray in hand and Alfred leading her up to him like he was the and she was the caboose.

Sweeney grimly ran a hand through his hair and sat up to swing his legs over the side of his bed.

Mrs. Lovett opened up his curtains causing him to wince and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Must you open the curtains?" He grumbled.

"Oh hush now, a little sunlight never hurt anybody." Mrs. Lovett replied cheeringly.

"I think the light's gotten to your head." He mumbled as he attempted to get to his feet.

Mrs. Lovett ignored him and frowned sympathetically when she saw him wince from his wound.

"How are you feeling love?" She asked, going over to help him up.

He rolled his eyes before grumbling, "How do you think?"

"I'm sorry…" She whispered.

He paused, suddenly feeling like an ass for even saying anything.

"Don't worry about it." He said quickly.

Mrs. Lovett nodded and continued to help him to his desk.

When he was seated and had his food in front of him Mrs. Lovett asked him if he needed anything, naturally and replied no and she left him to pick at his food.

Later on in the day Mrs. Lovett came in with a warm bucket of water and a cloth and sat it down beside his bed, ignoring the way he was sitting there eyeing her curiously.

"What is that for?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Mrs. Lovett popped up from kneeling on the floor and put her hands on her hips. "For you. Now help me take your shirt off." She replied.

His eyes widened, "What for?!"

Mrs. Lovett rolled her eyes, "To clean up your bandages, ya silly nit, what else?"

"Oh… alright." He answered back quietly, still unsure.

She sat down on the edge of the bed beside him and turned on her side, carefully unbuttoning his shirt.

Mr. Todd couldn't imagine what was going on in her head as she continued to unbutton his shirt, he could see the way her eyes seemed to glitter each time one button was undone.

"Alright, sit up now." Mrs. Lovett said after undoing the last button.

He complied and lifted himself up by his elbows as she lifted his arm and pulled his arm out of the first sleeve and went on to the other.

Her eyes ran up and down his bare chest, amazed at how perfect he looked…

"Uh, Mrs. Lovett?" Mr. Todd said, dragging her out of her little stare fest.

"Oh… Yes." Mrs. Lovett shook her head before carefully unwrapping his bandages to reveal his wound, which luckily had been starting to look much better the last couple of days.

"You know I been thinking…" Mrs. Lovett began as she leant down to soak the cloth in the warm water.

"What?" He inquired gruffly.

"That maybe when you get better we could fix up the back porch, ya know? An- And we could possibly get a few chairs out there so maybe we could sit out there some nights-"

"Mrs. Lovett." He interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore of her ideas, "I don't think now is the time to discuss the future."

"Oh." She replied quietly, trying to hide the disappointment in her eyes by putting her head down more.

When she was finished and had him wrapped back up again she proceeded on getting him a clean shirt and as soon as she was done with that, she picked up the bucket of now cold water and went to cook supper.

Evening came and shortly after supper Mrs. Lovett was making her way down the hall to Mr. Todd's room collect his dinner tray.

He heard her boots click against the wood and the light emanating from her candle glow beneath the doorway, and as they grew closer to his room, he felt Alfred hop off the end of the bed and go over to the doorway.

Mrs. Lovett opened the door and smiled when she saw Alfred's shadow in her candlelight. She then greeted Alfred by smiling and kneeling down next to him, petting down his neck as she did so. "There ya are Alfie, I was beginnin' to wonder where ya went off too."

When Mrs. Lovett stood up and turned to get the tray she was stopped when meeting dark eyes with Mr. Todd. "Oh, sorry love, I thought you was asleep." She said as she placed the candle beside him on his nightstand.

"That's fine." He replied before sitting up.

"Ya don't need to get up for my benefit." Mrs. Lovett said as she walked over to him and fluffed his pillow, pushing him back down onto the bed gently, "Ya need ya rest. The sooner ya get better, the better."

Which reminded him about earlier, how he snapped at her when she started talking about when he got well. He hated to admit it but, he really did feel kind of bad about it.

"Mrs. Lovett." He said when she was about to leave.

She paused sharply before answering, "Yes?"

"When I-" He hesitated, he wasn't sure as to what he was supposed to say.

"When you what, dear?"

He sighed, "Earlier, when you were changing my bandages you were talking about things that you wanted to do when I got better and-"

"Think nothing of it." She suddenly said, bowing her head down, "It was silly of me to go on like that, and I.."

There was silence before Mr. Todd abruptly grabbed his wound and closed his eyes in pain.

Mrs. Lovett immediately rushed to his aid, "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes." He breathed, still closing his eyes and shifting uncomfortably, "Don't worry about it."

"Oh love…" Mrs. Lovett sat beside him on the bed and lifted up his shirt to reveal his bandages, "Is it too tight?"

"No." He answered back quietly, relieved that the pain had stopped somewhat.

"Are you sure?" She asked sympathetically.

He then batted her hand away from his wound and pulled his shirt back down grumbling, "Yes, I'm sure."

They sat in silence for a while before Mrs. Lovett hesitantly lifted her hand to pull some stray hair out of his face.

He watched as she sat and petted his hair as if he was merely Alfred, but there was something different about the way she looked at him when she did it. The expression on her face looked so sad yet at the same time her eyes shined with nothing but affection.

She didn't know why he was even letting her be this affectionate with him, perhaps it was his way of thanking her for caring for him.

Mrs. Lovett removed her eyes from her gaze on her hand and looked him straight in the eyes as if asking for approval as to what she was going to do next.

He did nothing when she leant down and softly kissed his cheek, pausing for a second as she proceeded onto kissing him lightly on the lips.

While all this was happening, Mr. Todd merely stood frozen as she thawed him with her love.

Mrs. Lovett then moved her lips just above his ear and whispered, "Just because you don't love me, doesn't mean I can't love you."

And with that, she got up, took his dinner tray and picked up the candle as she headed for the door. Her voice was soft yet laced with hurt when she whispered, "Goodnight," before leaving his room.

* * *

_Awwyaa(: I love how Mrs. Lovett wuvvles him x3333_

_Thanks for all of your support on this story so far, I really appreciate it!_

_Yerrr sooo vaiiinnnn… You prolly think this chapter's about yewww…_

_&btw I would like Miss. Melissa (Neon Blaqk) to know that this is dedicated to her xD (Lmao, she knows why xDDD)_

_I had my 8__th__ grade farewell dance on Friday, and I would have you know that I boogie real hardcore xDDD Yeah, I just thought everyone should know that… :D _

**Sorry if my insanity frightens some :)**

_And the reason why it has been taking me forever to update is because it is heading towards the end of the school year and I have been swamped with tests and finals, you know all that crap... Have I mentioned that I hate IB? Well anyways, have a lovely day/night/whatever!_**  
**


	11. Chapter Ten

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Eleven

When his current wife had told him that she was in love with him, he didn't really believe it. But now, as it seemed that she dropped him more and more hints that she really was, he was starting to believe it.

He couldn't sleep after she left, he couldn't stop thinking… thinking of how he had to get out.

Underneath of that tough and eminently practical woman lurked a haunting melancholy, the yearning of a woman in love with an unreachable man. A man whose idea of a love song was a passionate serenade to his silver friends.

She would never have him, although it seemed that she already did.

Their relationship was just an illusion that was confining them to stand still, preventing it from evolving to something more.

It didn't matter how many times she kissed him, how many times she said 'I love you', or even how many times she continued to care or shower him with affection. For he would never love her. He couldn't.

She couldn't hurt the feelings he didn't have and it wouldn't break the heart that she had tried so desperately to find.

A week or so later Mr. Todd was back on his feet and was doing much better. He wasn't able to pace, much to his displeasure, but at least he could get up and move around.

Mrs. Lovett wondered why it had bothered him so much when he couldn't really get up and move. It wasn't like he ever left that room of his anyways. Maybe it just comforted him to know that he could run away whenever he found it necessesary. And that was why Mrs. Lovett wished she could just cut his legs off, then she would never have to worry about him leaving her in the night…

It was now evening and Mrs. Lovett was sleeping uneasily in her bed when she was awaken by an abrupt crash coming from the kitchen.

She sat up and looked around before lying back down figuring that it was probably Alfred.

When suddenly, the thought occurred to her-

_Mr. Todd… He's leaving… He's gone… I know it._

Mrs. Lovett quickly got out of bed and hurried to his room, he wasn't there.

She ran to the kitchen, poking her head into the parlor on her way out before making her way to the porch-

And that's where she found him.

He was sitting there, staring sadly out into the rain. "Mista T?" She whispered quietly.

He said nothing and merely turned his head to glance at her quickly before returning his gaze to the ocean.

"I really don't think ya should be out 'ere when it's rainin' like this, ya might catch a chill…" She said, trying to convince him to come inside.

"I'm fine." He grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear him.

Mrs. Lovett walked over to him and sat beside him as she sighed. "Alright then, but don't be waking me up in the middle of the night with your bloody coughing."

And after a moment of silence she started up again, "'Sides, the weather startin' to get nice around 'ere, I think it'll do ya some good to be out in the sunshine."

Sometimes she felt as if she was talking to a brick wall.

She looked out at the sea. The rain had died down some and it was now a light sprinkle, the waves were now calming down and they now hit the shore softly, and the moon's reflection was glistening on the water. It was beautiful.

It was then the idea occurred to her, _fishing_.

Mr. Todd had always scoffed at her every time she made one of her weekly trips to the fish market. Even though she was always careful not to talk to hardly anybody and to keep her head down under her shawl.

Now she felt silly and wondered why she didn't even think of it before. The answers were right out their front door.

"Well," Mrs. Lovett smiled as she got up, "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow." She finished before patting his leg and heading back inside.

Afterall she did have to rest up, she was going to be catching some fish tomorrow.

The next morning at the very crack of dawn, Mrs. Lovett was up and in the kitchen.

The teakettle hissed as she went over to it, turning the burner off and picking up the pot. She hummed to herself excitedly, pouring the water into a teacup before sticking a teabag in it and stirring it.

Today Mrs. Lovett was going to go fishing. Which excited her because for the last few weeks Mrs. Lovett had never been so _bored_.

She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, organized what little books she had, thought of different ways to rerange the parlor and to top all of that off she had a husband that pretty much refused to even talk to her and Alfred wasn't much of a conversationist.

Not to mention Mrs. Lovett hadn't been fishing since her Aunt Nettie took her to the docks when she was just a little girl.

It was then the thought occurred to her. Mrs. Lovett needed a net.

Luckily she remembered about the trunk that was in the parlor when her and Mr. Todd had found this place. Inside was filled with many different things. An ivory comb, some old pieces of cork, an aged tablecloth, a rusted spoon, and most importantly, a fishing net. The trunk had some more things in it but the most peculiar thing in the trunk, however, was a piece of string with a stone attached to the end of it.

There was also an old, unframed picture of a rather happy looking couple. The man was handsome and tall, with a shy smile and small lips, the woman looked heavenly pregnant with flowing long hair. They stood in front of what looked to be the sea, the woman leaned affectionately against who Mrs. Lovett figured to be her husband, as the woman grinned widely at the camera.

Mrs. Lovett couldn't help but wonder who the people were, when they were here, if they were still alive, if their child was a boy or girl, if they were still together… She wished she knew the answers to her many questions, she also wondered if she would ever be as happy as the couple appeared to be in the photograph. But right now, Mrs. Lovett was going to catch some fish.

Later on in the morning, Mr. Todd was looking around for his wife, when he heard muffled curses coming from outside.

He peered out the window and almost grinned when he saw her.

She was standing knee-deep in the water, her dress was soaked from the waist down, and she had a rather annoyed look on her face each time she cast the net out into the water and pulled it in to find that all she caught was sea weed.

"Come on you lazy fish! Get in the net!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed angrily.

"Mrs. Lovett." Mr. Todd called from behind her.

She nearly lost her balance and almost fell over until Mr. Todd caught her from behind, not even noticing when his trousers and shoes got soaked.

"Oh Mista T!" Mrs. Lovett said with little embarrassment, "What are you doing out 'ere?"

He let go of her when she regained her balance and stepped out of the water, taking her with him.

"You're soaked." He began.

"Well of course I am!" She replied, "I've been out 'ere all mornin' and I haven't even caught one lousy fish."

"You're not going to catch one with the way you're fishing." He answered back.

"Well how do you suggest I catch one then?"

Mr. Todd didn't answer and went on with rolling his sleeves up. He had spent fifteen years in Botany Bay, surely he would know how to fish.

"You have to wait until a tide comes in." He said as he picked up the net and got back into the water.

When a good tide came in, he through the net in, pulling it out as soon as the tide left.

"Look at that." Mrs. Lovett mumbled as he pulled the net out onto the sand to reveal a few fishes flopping around.

"Now you try." He said as he picked up the net and through the fish back in the water.

"What'd you do that for! Those were perfectly good fish." Mrs. Lovett scoffed with her hands on her hips.

"There are plenty more fish in the sea, my pet." He replied as he walked back into the water.

She thought about what his words meant and knew that his meaning meant nothing to what they meant to her. He just meant that she could easily catch some more fish, when all she wanted to do was ask him when she was going to catch _him_.

Mrs. Lovett then followed him before taking the net, "Are ya sure ya should be getting ya bandages wet dear?" She shouted so he could hear her over the now heavy waves.

She didn't quite catch his response, but a tide came a few seconds later and Mrs. Lovett through the net in after Mr. Todd yelled a quick 'now' before helping her pull the net back in.

They were too slow to get out of the water, because just when they were pulling the net out, a big wave came by and almost knocked the two of them off of their feet.

Mrs. Lovett's eyes widened as she stalked out of the water and onto the sand with Mr. Todd following after her.

"Bloody 'ell! Look at me! I'm drenched!" She exclaimed as she squeezed the bottom of her dress out.

Mr. Todd frowned, still pulling the net out of the water.

"At least we got some fish." He grumbled.

Mrs. Lovett looked up and her frown was suddenly changed into a playful grin. "Oh Mista T… You're soakin' wet!"

"So aren't you." Replied Mr. Todd annoyingly, though he couldn't help but shoot her a small grin when he saw how ridiculous she looked.

Mrs. Lovett smiled before walking over to him and pecking him playfully on the cheek.

"Thanks for helping me catch some fish, love."

It was times like this when she realized that maybe someday she would be happy like the couple in the photograph.

* * *

_Do any of you guys like the show LOST? If so, do any of you read LOST fanfictions?_

_Just incase you were wondering- _

_I have been (am) banned from the computer for a while because my mother says that I have a 'bitch mouth' xDDD Ha ha ha…_

_So the other day my mom was rolling some dough (cause she was making a strawberry rhubarb pie) and my three year old brother looks at her and says, "Mommy you look like Mrs. Lovett." lmao xDDD _

_I luvvles that kid! I trained him well ^,^ _

_I hope you liked this chapter, it's nice to find that Mrs. Lovett is finagling smiling and having a good time. :D Bye now(:_


	12. Chapter Eleven

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Twelve

The two were both soaking wet from head to toe as Mrs. Lovett sighed heavily and plopped herself down right next to Mr. Todd on the settee.

"I never thought that fishing could take a lot out of you." Mrs. Lovett said before smiling, "I guess that's the price of getting old."

"Yeah." Sweeney responded, his lips twitching into a slight grin.

They sat a while, slouching carelessly on the settee as Mr. Todd sat as far away from his wife as he possibly could before a question popped into his head.

"Exactly how old are you, Mrs-" He paused a moment, "Pet?"

Mrs. Lovett laughed at his question for a second before looking at him and noticing from the expression on his face that he was serious.

Mr. Todd never really gave it much thought at how old Mrs. Lovett was, as a matter of fact he never really cared. But right now, he was curious and wanted to know.

Mrs. Lovett blinked as his face remained solemn and serious, she then cleared her throat and replied, "W-what?"

"How old are you?" He repeated.

"You're not serious are you?" She asked, a bit irritated with his question.

"It's just a simple question." He stated amiably, "I don't see why you can't simply answer me."

"Fine," She said, "I'm thirty-six."

"Mrs. Lovett." He scolded.

"Alright I'm forty-two. I'm an old beldam." She grumbled, "I don't see why it matters anyway… It's just a number."

"Funny," Mr. Todd smirked, "You don't look a day over thirty-two."

Mrs. Lovett's face lit up at his compliment, which it was, for him.

"Aw, ya mean it?" She smiled, he was being so decent, nice even.

"Why not?" He replied honestly.

Mrs. Lovett then sat up and scooted nearer to him, sitting her elbow on the back of the settee and resting her cheek on her fist.

"Tell me then," She began. "How old are you?" She asked him, although she already had a pretty good idea as to how old he was.

"Forty-five." He stated.

"That's not too old." Mrs. Lovett replied, "I always thought that we were the age that we acted like."

Mr. Todd grumbled before thinking about what she just said. He found it rather odd how lately, he found himself actually _listening _to what she had to say.

Another smile curled across her lips after thinking, "If we are the age that we act than you must be in your late seventies."

"And why do you say that?"

"Well you do act like a grumpy old fart most of the time."

His brows stitched together into a frown.

"Oh come now…" She laughed, "I was only joking."

He thought for a minute, "Well if age is just a number, and if we are the age that we acted, than why was it such a big deal for you to tell me how old you are?"

Mrs. Lovett was slightly taken aback by his question, today was probably the most she'd heard him speak in months.

"I'm not sure that I know, I just don't want ya thinkin' that you're married to some old lady." She replied quietly.

"You're not an old lady." He said back.

With his kind words and his sudden sense of sensitivity, Mrs. Lovett was more mesmerized than ever before by him. So she moved herself a little closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Noticing her sudden closeness, he subconsciously put his arm around her waist.

He faltered, and when he realized that she was leaning in to kiss him, he then took her arms off from around his neck and stood up.

He awkwardly looked around the room, deliberately avoiding her saddened gaze from clearing his throat and heading out the hall to the backroom.

There he goes again. She thought sadly, keeping her eyes locked onto the door he just walked out of.

Moments later, Alfred came trotting in and hopped onto Mrs. Lovett's lap, purring immediately when he felt the gentle brush of her hand stroke his orange back.

This was so _wrong_. He thought as he paced around in the backroom. But lately, it seemed as though it was becoming more and more right. She was his wife, why couldn't they at least get a little intimate with each other? But at the same time, the idea of it seemed completely and utterly preposterous. She was his former landlady, accomplice… Not to mention she wasn't Lucy.

Maybe if he did it once, just once to get it off his back and hopefully to get her off of his, would make all of their problems go away.

No. He couldn't, he couldn't possibly. In fact it was likely that it would make their situation worse. Not to mention, Sweeney Todd had no need nor no desire for her advances.

Wait-

WHAT WAS HE THINKING!?

It had just occurred to him that things had gotten to the point in their so called 'relationship' that he was actually _trying_ to make things better, he was actually _considering_ the inevitable.

And that's what it was. The inevitable. There was no sense in trying to run away from it, it was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not.

Every time they kissed, every time that she looked at him desirably was just another step towards the output that he knew was going to happen.

Suddenly, Mr. Todd stopped his continuous pacing and looked out his window to see a ship in the distance.

-that was unless he left.

That night at dinner, things seemed to have gone back to the way they were. Silence.

"Pet?" Mr. Todd began, mentally wincing when Mrs. Lovett responded by wiping her mouth with the napkin that was folded on her lap and replying with an annoyed cold stare.

He looked down at his plate. "I wanted to let you know that I am going to be leaving soon."

She said nothing and continued to stare at him as he cleared his throat and continued on with what he had to say, "I am going to be boarding a ship and leaving, presumably within the next week or so. I am going to try and get on one with a group of foreigners, so I shouldn't be notic-"

He stopped as soon as he heard her fork get dropped onto her plate. She then put her elbows onto the table and rested her forehead in her palms.

"Why do you keep doing this?" She asked, her eyes shut and livid.

He remained silent as she stood up and gathered their dishes.

"I just don't understand what I do wrong." She began angrily, "I feed you, I do your laundry, I run around acting like your bloomin' maid for London's sake."

When she went into the parlor, he followed her, listening to her rant and watching as she picked up random things to dust and polish.

"I didn't say you did anything wrong." He suddenly mumbled, causing her to pause and stare at him.

"Than why are you leaving? Why?!" She yelled as she picked up a glass vase.

"Because I have to!" he replied, half yelling, "I just don't want this to become more of a mess that it already is."

She stared at him and said nothing, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

"What do you want from me?!" He shouted back, getting annoyed with her behavior.

Mrs. Lovett's face turned a beat red, "What do I want?!" She practically screamed, "You're all I bloody wanted!"

And in her fury and anger, she threw the vase at him, causing it to smash against the wall behind him and shatter to the floor in pieces.

In a sense, you could say that, it was just what he had done to her heart.

* * *

_And the meltdown continues... o.O_

_Helloooo everyone!_

_Pandora Spocks here and I am here to say that yesterday was my last day!_

_(Of school, I mean…)_

_I know that people back in the day didn't usually live too long but... this is my story, so in my story they are close to Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter's age. Comprende?_

_I hope this chapter was alright for you(: Expect the next one soon…_


	13. Chapter Twelve

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Thirteen

"Would you get a hold of yourself?" Mr. Todd hissed as he made his way over to her.

Mrs. Lovett tried to run from him, but he was too quick. He soon had a hold of her arm and was cornering her in the middle of the parlor.

"Let. Me. Go." She demanded between her attempts to wiggle free from his grasp.

"Not until you agree to calm down so we can talk about this." He offered, which was strange for him to actually agree to converse in conversation.

She thought a minute as she looked down at the ground, his hands held tightly around her arms, pressing her against him, she looked up at him quickly to find him staring back down awkwardly at her.

"I don't wanna talk anymore." She whispered before leaning up and smashing her lips against his.

The kiss was brief, but for the last few seconds of it, he found himself kissing her back.

It was then he realized, there was no sense in running away.

"Come with me." He said quietly, taking her arm and leading her back to her bedroom.

He sat her on her bed, and she did nothing but stare across the room at her mirror, watching his reflection as he sat down beside her and sighed heavily.

And after moments of silence, Mr. Todd spoke, "If we are going to do this, I want you to know that nothing is changing between us."

"I know." She replied monotony.

He sighed again, turning to work at the buttons in the front of her dress.

When he was going onto the second button, she stopped him.

"Wait-" She said, putting her hand over his.

He looked at her quizzically.

Mrs. Lovett paused, looking down at her hand still over his, letting out a shaky breath and meeting his eyes again, "I don't want you to do something that you don't want to do."

"Marrying you was something that I didn't want to do." He said, "But it was something that you wanted." He finished quietly.

He wanted to tell her that he had grown to care about her, he may not have loved her, but he cared for her all the same. He was afraid that if he let himself care for another being, it would all turn into disaster like it did before. Sweeney Todd wasn't the same, naïve man, that he was all those years ago.

He didn't want to be afraid anymore.

"It's been so long." Mrs. Lovett whispered, turning to look at him nervously.

"Almost sixteen years…" He recalled, moving his hand from beneath hers to move it back to his side.

"Eighteen." Mrs. Lovett said back, taking his hand again and nervously placing it over her left breast.

He swallowed.

"It might hurt." Mr. Todd warned honestly, moving his face closer to hers.

She looked at him, her face painted with a brave expression, "I know," She said, "But, you're worth it, love."

Mrs. Lovett then shot her eyes up at his remarkably calm face before her eyelids shut and she embraced his lips, gently, with her own.

It was the most beautiful thing that had ever happened between them. No one was yelling, no one was crying, and he was actually being gentle and sensitive towards her.

They kissed for a brief period of time, her hand over his as it rested on her breast, her arm draped around his neck as her hand played in his forest of black hair.

When they broke apart, he turned her around so that she was once again facing the mirror and began working at the ties of her dress.

As the seconds went by, he grew more and more nervous.

She saw him trembling and turned slightly to speak to him, "Is everything alright?"

'Yes,' he wanted to say, but he was becoming more and more unsure as every string came unloose.

He faltered, he couldn't do it, "I-" He breathed, "I can't do this."

Mrs. Lovett immediately dropped her head into her hands and choked back the tears that were threatening to fall and said, "Why do you keep playin' these games….?"

He said nothing.

"Jus' let me be… I'll help you pack in the morning…" Mrs. Lovett mumbled.

"Pet…" Mr. Todd said sympathetically.

"Please, jus' don't call me that, no anymore." She snapped, "Jus' go."

And with that, he left her to her misery to deal with his.

"What have I done?" He said to himself as he paced in his room minutes later.

He rolled his eyes, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

_Lucy. _He thought, _why, why must I be punished with your memory?_

This was Indian territory to him, the only woman he had ever been with was Lucy, just like the only man that Mrs. Lovett had ever been with was Albert.

He just couldn't believe that he had set himself up for this again, especially when he knew he couldn't do it in the first place.

He was so scared, scared that he might actually find something else within the fiery being of his new wife. Afraid that if he were to love again, it would all be taken from him…

So being as exhausted as he was from the days dramatic events, he collapsed onto his bed and attempted to fall asleep.

Late in the evening, Sweeney was shaken from his weak slumber when he heard his door creak open.

He awoke to see a the dark figure of Mrs. Lovett standing before him in the doorway.

"I couldn't sleep…" Was all she could muster as she shook her head sadly and crawled onto the bed with him.

He stiffened beneath her as she rested her head on his chest along with her arms. She closed her eyes and sighed, "Please don't say anything," She whispered, "Jus' let me hold ya… I promise I'll be gone by morning."

Mr. Todd nodded in response as he started to stroke her back, knowing deep in his heart that it wasn't going to be easy for him to leave.

* * *

**Birthdayyy Sexxx. Birthhhdayyyy Sexxx-**

_XDDD lmao… The things people come up with these days…_

_When I watched the play, Mrs. Lovett said that it had been eighteen years since Albert died.. Just to clear that up…_

_Dang! Michael Jackson AND Farrah Fawcett died :(_

_So obviously, this was a major turning point in the story… _

_I hope you liked!_


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Fourteen

It was dawn, and it had been minutes since Mrs. Lovett awoke with a start. She was just pulling away from kissing her husbands bristly cheek, when she gazed once again at his sleeping form.

She absentmindedly stroked his mess of dark hair as she recalled the time that he let her cuddle up to him after she- well- _stabbed_ him. What he had done for her then and last evening may have been out of pity, but at least she knew that he cared.

Weeks ago, when he let her snuggle up beside him, he tried his best not to touch her. But last night, he stroked her back, let his fingers fall into her hair as he held her close…

Even just thinking about it sent her swooning and forgetting the promise that she had made him just hours before, although she wanted to lie back in bed with him.

About five minutes later, Mrs. Lovett found it best to leave, so she headed quietly down the hall and into the washroom.

"Bloody doors." Mrs. Lovett mumbled to herself as she shut it the best she could, not noticing when Alfred came in, following behind her; causing the door to open ajar.

Ever since the two had moved in, the cottage doors would never shut properly unless they were locked. And, sadly, the washroom and the door to the backroom didn't lock (mostly to Mr. Todd's displeasure).

She immediately began to heat up some water for her bath, sighing sadly when she saw one of Sweeney's shirts folded neatly on top of her basket of clean linens in the corner of the washroom. Soon she would be all alone again. Sure she had Alfred, but it wasn't the same.

Meanwhile, Mr. Todd was just getting out of bed like he would any other morning, when he paused. Something was different. It never really occurred to him how much his current wife had seemed to grow on him until now, though he hated to admit it. Wait- He couldn't be thinking these things, after all, he had packing to do.

Walking down the hall, in search of Mrs. Lovett to ask about his shirts, Mr. Todd paused when he caught a glimpse of her undressing in the washroom. He paused, looking into the slightly open doorway-

Mrs. Lovett suddenly looked up, forcing Mr. Todd to catch Mrs. Lovett's startled gaze.

His mouth opened as if he were about to say something until Mrs. Lovett unfroze herself and continued on with undressing.

He watched as she knowingly stripped herself bare in front of her staring husband.

Her body. It was- well- _perfect_. Her shape was like an hour-glass. Her skin was creamy and pale. It had been so long since he had been near the presence of a naked woman. The thought almost excited him, and at the same time it had actually frightened him. Frightened him to the point where, as she stood across the room from him naked, that he faltered and looked at the ground.

And with one last, curious glance, he continued his way down the hall. Embarrassed, naturally.

Mrs. Lovett did nothing, hurt once again, before walking over and slamming the door shut, scolding herself for being so foolish.

Later on, in the early afternoon, Mr. Todd bumped into her _again_.

He was coming into the parlor when he saw her sitting on the settee. Her right leg crossed over her left thigh, sipping her tea silently, and flipping to the next page of the book she was reading.

"Looking for something dear?" She suddenly said, not even bothering to look up at him.

"Uh…" He cleared his throat, "Yes, actually I was looking for my-"

"Your shirt is over there, clean and mended." Mrs. Lovett then pointed to the basket that she had brought from the washroom after her bath, behind the settee.

"Oh… Thank you." Not even daring to forget to thank her, especially being that her temper hadn't been the best lately.

But just as he was heading over to get it, Mrs. Lovett started up again.

"Am I really all that terrible?"

"What?" He stopped, standing and eyeing her questionably.

"I don't want to argue with you anymore, Mista T." She said with a slight sense emotional exhaustion in her voice, "I just want to know- Is it me?"

He sighed, he knew what she was talking about. "You know very well that it's not you."

"Than what is it?!" She snapped, "I am pretty sure that it can't be _her_, correct me if I-"

He stood silent.

She knew it. "It's her isn't it?"

More silence.

"Well," She began, setting her teacup back onto its saucer, "We're out of bread, among other things, and unless you want to starve the next few days or however long you decide to stay, then I have to go to the market." She said matter-of-factly.

Mrs. Lovett then sat up, walked straight passed him, and grabbed some things out of the kitchen before she reached the door. "And if you at least try and fix these good-for-nothing doors while I'm gone, that would be _smashing_."

He still stood where she left him, wincing slightly when he heard the door slam behind her.

As soon as she made her way across the lawn, she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't hold it in- So she crouched down onto the ground as a few violent sobs overcame her.

Moments later, she heard Mr. Todd's voice behind her on the porch, "Everything alright-?"

"I'm fine." Mrs. Lovett said, covering up her face with her hands as she wiped away her tears, and straightening herself up before putting her shawl over her head and continuing her way to the market.

"Bleedin' 'ell!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed as she rushed to the front door a few hours later, her groceries in hand.

It was literally pouring outside by the time she had gotten home and to make matters worse, the door was locked. Immediately, Mrs. Lovett began to knock at the door, and when she received no reply, she began pounding on it.

"MR. TODD!" She shouted, pounding onto the door and peering inside.

She sighed in frustration when she saw that he was no where in her view, so Mrs. Lovett made her way to the back door, where she proceeded to knock again when she found that it, too, was locked.

When all this was going on, Mr. Todd was just going to answer the front door when he saw that no one was there, so he headed to the back door.

Mrs. Lovett grumbled annoyingly, she then remembered that she had left her window open. So she walked quickly to her window and placed her groceries as gently as she could onto her floor, not even bothering to try and call out for Mr. Todd for some help. She then crawled through her window and stepped onto the chair that sat conveniently in front of her window in her bedroom.

When she had finally made her way inside, Mrs. Lovett was just turning from shutting her window when she caught the sight of Mr. Todd making his way down the hall.

"There ya are!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed loudly, causing him to turn suddenly into her room, "It's rainin' cats and dogs outside!"

Mr. Todd said nothing, figuring that she must have gone to the back door by the time he had reached the front when he went to answer the door and proceeded on helping her down of the chair.

"Well come 'ere and 'elp me, love." She said, gesturing for him to come and help her with the groceries, which he mistook for helping her down off the chair.

Mr. Todd obliged and made his way over to her, placing his hands on her waist and letting his eyes trailing down her drenched self, remembering what was concealed beneath the many layers of her dress.

She said nothing, just by looking into his eyes, her frustration seemed to have suddenly washed over her.

Mr. Todd's hand left her waist and wandered slowly down her thigh and soon found itself under her dress.

Mrs. Lovett shivered, and suppressed a gasp that was about to escape from her mouth.

Mr. Todd then lent up to her, and whispered very sensually into her ear, "You're wet, my dear."

Her lips parted, she could feel his hot breath on her neck, she then brought her arms up and wrapped them loosely around his neck.

Sweeney moved to look into her eyes, their lips were so close to touching, her nose rubbing gently against his own-

But before anything could happen, fear bubbled up inside Mrs. Lovett again- She couldn't be rejected again, she couldn't bear it.

So before she could even think about what was going to happen next, Mrs. Lovett pulled herself away from him abruptly, taking her arms off from around his neck and pushing his hand out of her skirts.

Mrs. Lovett cleared her throat, "Well," She said, "I suppose that I should start gettin' ya packed, now shouldn't I?"

Mrs. Lovett then got down from the chair and picked up the groceries, not even daring to meet his extremely bewildered gaze as she walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

* * *

_**Holy awkward…**_

_So… Uhh… Yeah… Where do I begin?_

_First of all, this story is nearing its end. I am not sure when but probably the next chapter or so…_

_Plus I must apologize for my absence, as I have been kinda… sidetracked._

_My great great aunt Phyllis died last Thursday… so I would like to dedicate this chapter to her._

_I love you aunt Philly(:_

_I got braces on Monday morning… They are pink and burgundy! What fun! *sarcasm* _

_I swear it took me an hour to eat my McDonalds breakfast!_

_Oohhh.... You should look up the lyrics for "Just Keep Breathing" By Automatic Loveletter because it fits perfectly for this story...  
_

_I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Bye now xD  
_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Illusions That Confine Us

Chapter Fifteen

_"To have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."_

It was a promise that both of them had made before the minister, God and each other. But unlike her husband, Mrs. Lovett had meant every single word that she said; which is what brought them to the argument that they were about to have at any time now-

It was Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning, Mr. Todd was leaving. He was to aboard a merchant ship full of young, American sailors, at dawn.

Mrs. Lovett had Mr. Todd all packed, everything was ready for his leave, well- almost everything.

Mrs. Lovett wasn't ready at all to let her beloved Sweeney go. She had been crying in secret almost every night now, it was almost pitiful. She never thought it possible to produce as many tears as she had the last few months that she had been married to Sweeney Todd.

She was now in the kitchen cooking supper, probably the last meal that she would ever eat with another human being. Mrs. Lovett couldn't face the Henry's concerned expressions if they showed up on her doorstep again asking what had happened to her husband.

"Just tell them that I died." He told her, "Tell them the truth, just don't tell them anything that would get you into trouble."

She had asked him why he even cared if she ended up into some sort of trouble, but he merely grunted and ignored her.

_Why can't he just stay? _She thought as tears rolled down her cheeks for the second time today. All he had to do was let her love him, let her be his wife. It didn't matter to her if they had sex or not. She just didn't want her head messed with anymore. Why couldn't he see that all she wanted right now was for him to stay?

Suddenly, Mr. Todd entered the room, she stiffened; grabbing her apron and dabbing her face with it, keeping her back turned to him.

"Mrs. Lovett?"

"Yes?" She answered, trying to stifle her tears as much as possible.

He noticed the weakness in her voice, "Are you-?" He thought a minute, "Are you crying?"

Mrs. Lovett wiped her eyes again, "No."

"Put the knife down." He ordered in a calm voice, knowing that in her emotional state of mind, it was a good idea for her to not be holding any weapons.

Mrs. Lovett obliged, letting go of the knife and placing it gently on the counter in front of her.

"Now turn around."

She did as she was told, and she turned to face him, dropping her head to the ground as soon as he saw her. She was so ashamed of herself, he wasn't worth her tears! But he was… he was worth every last drop…

Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks blotchy and pink.

"I've heard you crying." He stated honestly - was that _concern _that she heard in his voice?

Mrs. Lovett opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Mr. Todd was then taken aback when Mrs. Lovett hurried over to him and buried her head into his chest.

He felt her body shake against his as he stiffened, not knowing what to do to calm her down. So reluctantly and hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Why do you have to go?" She wailed desperately into his shirt.

Mr. Todd sighed, "We've been through this before…"

"But why?" She whispered, finally looking up into his eyes, "Why do you have to leave me?"

"Nothing is going to change if I stay here." It was a lie- and he knew it.

"You're lying." She said, hitting him in the chest, "You're leaving because you know that if you stay - somethin' - something might happen between us…. You're afraid of loving me. Admit it, you coward."

He frowned, he simply came in here to ask her where she put his things so he knew where they were in the morning, now she was just asking for another argument.

"I will never love you." He snapped, pushing her away from him.

"You promised." She croaked out.

"I never promised an-"

"'Till death do us part, that's what you promised."

"It was a promise that you knew I wasn't going to keep!" He exclaimed in frustration, "We've been through this before! I only married you because-"

"Because you needed me! You needed me jus' like the bloody baby you are! You wanted to save my bloody arse along with yours!" She cut in, "Yes, Mr. Todd, I know!"

Sweeney stood speechless, unable to speak, unable to think - It was true.

"I don't want this to end this way." Mrs. Lovett said quietly, after a long period of silence.

"You can't end something that never began." He corrected stubbornly.

Mrs. Lovett let out a frustrated breath, grasping Mr. Todd's shoulders and placing a hungry kiss upon his lips - not planning on stopping until he kissed her back - which he did about two seconds into the kiss.

With reluctance, Mrs. Lovett pulled away, leaning her forehead against his chin. Both panted, confused and exasperated.

He then lifted her chin up so that he could kiss her yet again. His free hand rested on her hip, as his other moved down from her chin to grasp tightly onto her arm. Upon his gesture, Mrs. Lovett suddenly placed her hands onto his chest and pushed him lightly away, causing their lips to detach.

She looked up into his expressionless eyes and whispered huskily, "Exactly."

He wanted to grab her again - kiss her with all his might - finally claim her as his own. But the thought vanished when he remembered, he was going to be leaving her in less than twenty-four hours.

Angered with his thoughts, he pushed her away abruptly, glaring at her and grumbling, "There's nothing here for me."

With that, he turned, and stalked out of the kitchen and back to the backroom.

* * *

_Mr. Todd has some issues, I'm tellin' ya…_

_Thanks for everyone's concern regarding my aunt, every review for the last chapter acknowledged it... I was so surprised that people actually bothered to read one of my ridiculous end notes... Thank you :) It really made me feel a little better.  
_

_Ohkayzz so this chapter was supposed to be VERY long but I decided that I need some more time with it so I am just gonna give ya this for now :D I hope that you enjoyed it!_

**W A N T E D**

_Beta Reader_

_To edit my mistakes and such...  
_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Sixteen

He was such a bastard. A selfish, no-good, rotten bastard. But at the same time he was so misunderstood, so completely and utterly misunderstood…

Which made her wonder, as she stood on the threshold of the front door watching as her husband sat on his knees in the rain, why she was still _worrying_ about him.

This all started about an hour or so after Mr. Todd had stalked out of the kitchen, when he came, bursting into the parlor while she was reading-

She was sitting, one leg swung over the other in the old armchair reading, Alfred purring contentedly on her lap as she turned the page of her book when Mr. Todd had suddenly appeared in the doorway.

Mrs. Lovett looked up, a concerned look spreading across her face as he continued to stare at her angrily.

"Mista T, what's wrong?" She asked nervously, putting her book down and placing Alfred gently on the floor so that she could sit up properly.

"Mista T?" She repeated, watching him as his fervent eyes scanned the room, "Mista T, what is it?"

Mrs. Lovett then got up and hastily made her way over to him, "Love? If you're hungry I could fix up some supper-"

He glared at her, the same murderous glint that she hadn't seen since the night of their escape. That same murderous glint that twinkled in his eyes whenever he had something devious plotting in his head.

His evil glare made her gasp, it was frightening to see him this way…

"My razors!" He suddenly barked, his eyes now continuing to scan the room.

"What-? Why do you-?" She stuttered, whimpering when he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Where are they?!" Sweeney exclaimed as he continued to shake her.

"I don't- I don't know… I didn't put them any-" Stammered Mrs. Lovett before getting interrupted once again.

"The backroom!" He exclaimed suddenly, releasing her and turning around to make his way back down the hall.

Mrs. Lovett didn't dare to follow him, she had no idea what was making him behave this way. Surely he hadn't been drinking, he didn't seem drunk or at the most tipsy. Not to mention, she had all the alcohol stored away in the kitchen somewhere for special occasions.

Thinking nothing more of it, and hoping that this behavior of his would wear off soon, she turned back around and headed back towards the chair. But her plans of sitting back down and reading the rest of this retched day away when she was suddenly pulled back by a strong arm grasping tightly around her waist and a very cold, and silver object being held against her neck.

"Mist- Mister Todd?" Mrs. Lovett asked nervously.

"I found them…" Mr. Todd sneered into her ear from behind, locking her in place.

"What are you do-"

"Shush!" He demanded, spinning her around and pushing her onto the settee.

She lay, leaning heavily against her elbows as he stared down at her, obviously enjoying her struggle.

"Mista T, what's gotten into ya?" She asked, attempting to sit up but was pushed back down abruptly.

"I said shush!" He barked again, moving over to loom over her on the settee.

He pushed her down completely, making it so that her whole body was lying on the settee, it was awkward and Mrs. Lovett fought the urge to ask him what in hell he was doing. And before she could realize it, Sweeney Todd was straddling her hips.

"What in gods sake do ya think you're doing?!" She exclaimed, squirming uncomfortably beneath him, "Bleedin' 'ell! You're squishin' me!"

"Shut up!" He demanded suddenly, pressing the razor against her throat again so that she had to keep her head down.

Reluctantly, she kept quiet, almost slapping herself when she realized that she was finding much arousal out of this.

"I have come to a conclusion Mrs. Lovett…" He spoke calmly as his razor caressed the soft skin of her neck gently.

She opened her mouth to respond but was silenced when he lifted his razor up to press up against her jaw.

"You don't have to worry about dying alone… My pet…" He continued, dragging the razor under her jaw and down her throat to land on her heaving chest, allowing his precious friend to take advantage of her rather vulnerable state.

She let out another nervous whimper when the razor pierced through her pale flesh. "Now don't be frightened, love, it will only hurt for a moment… That is unless you corporate."

Mrs. Lovett was panting now, panting so hard that she swore her heavy breaths were causing the razor to cut her even more.

"That's right, don't speak…" He purred deviously, lifting his razor-free hand to run his finger down her cheek and around her neck. "This way we will both be happy. I will die and be free from this repulsive and meaningless world- And you will die, not alone, but with me by your side."

Mrs. Lovett's eyes widened at his words, finally realizing what he meant and what this was all about. She lied there beneath him for a moment, her breathing becoming more and more rapid as her urge to slap him out of this irrational state of mind of his grew along with it.

It took all of the strength that she had to sit up and push him off of her. He fell backwards as the razor was knocked out of his hand and across the room.

Mrs. Lovett got up and didn't even bother to stop and think about what just happened and ran. Ran out of the parlor and outside where the sky was forming a light sprinkle.

She stood with her hand on her chest, attempting to catch her breath and sort out her thoughts, when an obvious question popped once again into her mind-

_What has gotten into him?_

Her thoughts were interrupted, for probably the billionth time in the last twenty minutes, when he appeared outside, his eyes narrowed and focused clearly on her as he clicked his razor back open.

"Nothing to fear my love…" He said calmly, advancing his way toward her.

She backed away until she tripped as a result of being distracted by the menacing look he was giving her as he continued to move nearer to her. It was raining harder now.

She almost fell in a puddle of mud until Mr. Todd seized her by the wrists and pulled her close to him just enough to whisper in her ear. "No sense in running away… It's going to happen whether you like it or not."

Mrs. Lovett couldn't help but grimace at the irony in his words.

"Stop doing this." She choked out, rain streaming down her chest, her cuts bleeding more.

"I have to…" He replied back, his stare looking less dangerous now.

"No." She said firmly, trying to talk some sense into him as she shook her head, "You don't."

He looked so broken and shut down now, but his grasp on her wrists was still as tight as ever.

"Mista T, I know why you're doing this."

"You don't!" He yelled suddenly, causing her to jump, "You don't know why!"

"I do," She said back, "I know that there's something… You know it."

Mr. Todd pulled a bit away from her, still holding on tightly to her wrists but she moved closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder to whisper to him, "You don't have to kill me, you don't have to kill yourself, you don't have to run away-"

He was silent for a while, as if really thinking about what she said until he let go of her wrists and sank to his knees in the rain.

"If I don't do either of those things, Mrs. Lovett, I won't know myself anymore." He spoke quietly, staring at the soggy ground.

"Come on inside now, dear." She insisted, before he spoke up again.

"Who am I?" He questioned, lifting up the razor in his hand to look at his reflection. "I am monster… A demon..."

He turned the razor when he caught sight of Mrs. Lovett's blurry reflection as the rain continued to pelt the blade of his silver friend and frowned once more. "Leave me." He said and when she didn't move he shouted, "LEAVE ME!"

She obliged, turning and walking up to the porch where she stood, watching him from the threshold of the front door.

She should have left him there, sitting so helplessly in the rain. She could have risked him catching a chill or something worse. She could have left him to his grief… His hopeless and confusing grief. But for some strange reason, she wasn't mad at him for attempting to kill her. She was mad at herself for driving him into that conclusion.

Sighing she moved back out into the rain and stood beside him as he sulked on the ground. "Let's go," She spoke calmly, putting his arm around her neck and assisting him to the door. "Come on."

When they got back inside, Mrs. Lovett sat him down in the kitchen.

She left the room for a few seconds before coming back carrying an old quilt from the parlor.

"Here we are dear." She said, wrapping the blanket the blanket around him, "Nice and snug, eh?"

Mrs. Lovett smiled politely although Mr. Todd made no effort to move, blinking once every few seconds.

After finishing their tea, he spoke in a hushed tone as sorrow painted every feature of his face, "What have I to live for?"

Mrs. Lovett, who was wearing her shawl to keep warm, looked over at him sympathetically, "Now, now, Mista T. There's no sense in talkin' like that."

"No." He said firmly, "I was only good for revenge. I have no purpose anymore."

He blinked as a few raindrops rolled from his hair and over his eyes as he stared gloomily into his teacup, which was held securely in his hands.

"Oh darling… That's not true. You have a beautiful daughter that would still probably be trapped with that good-for-nothing judge if it wasn't for you." She said soothingly.

When he did nothing but continue to sit and stare into his cup, Mrs. Lovett cleared her throat and nervously said, "'Sides, you have a wife that loves you."

He glanced up at her for a second, meeting her coldly with his dark eyes and his mouth opened to speak, "I had a wife that loved me, and she's gone. You mean nothing to me."

Words couldn't even begin to explain the number of emotions that she felt from is incredibly harsh words.

"Very well then." She responded coolly, getting up and leaving him to sit alone in the kitchen, "I don't even know why I care anymore." She muttered as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom.

She didn't need him, after all, there was always her cat, Alfred. Who was now lying spread-eagle on her bed, looking up at her with his brilliant yellow eyes. It was a comfort to know that as long as Alfred was there, she would never be alone.

It's a shame that cats only have nine lives.

* * *

_There we go!_

_Are you happy now? You impatient woman you? XDDD_

_Tahahaa, dedicated to Melissa (__**Neon Blaqk**__) cause she is so darn special._

_Sppttt... If there were any errors, blame her because she forced me to type this!  
_

_& A special thank you to __**Aimee in Whaleland**__ for the simply amazing trailer that she made for this story._

_I seriously suggest that you watch it. The link for it is on my profile, but if you prefer just go to youtube and search 'Illusions That Confine Us' it is pretty obvious which video it is._

_Thanks again, Aimee!_

_Until next time, my pets(;_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Seventeen

Tears rolled down Mrs. Lovett's blotchy cheeks as she lay on her stomach, her hands resting beneath her head as his hurtful words repeated over and over again in her head-

"_You're nothing to me."_

He could tell her that he didn't love her. He could tell her that he was going to be leaving her forever. But he couldn't tell her that she meant nothing to him. It just wasn't true, it couldn't be.

It was too bad that the rain had died away. The constant sound of the raindrops hitting the roof had muffled her crying.

When she sat down beside Alfred and buried her head into her hands about an hour ago she kept repeating to herself, "I'm not going to cry… I'm not going to cry… No, he's not worth it - He's blind, Nellie." But to no avail, she just cried more from the thought that he actually _was_ worth her tears.

Though she couldn't help but speculate that perhaps he really wasn't worth it, that perhaps he and her were not meant to be… But who was she meant for? Albert was a nice and caring husband but she was never in love with him. She loved Albert for Albert, the kind of love that you have for a good friend, but she never loved him as much as she loved Sweeney Todd.

Maybe this was fates way of telling her that she was to die alone and miserable, the same way that fate had made it perfectly clear that that was Sweeney Todd's fate as well.

Why couldn't they just be miserable together? She could show him a happier way of life, he didn't have to tell her that he loved her, he didn't have to make love to her, all he had to do was stay. Stay and let her love him.

Why couldn't he see that that was all she wanted? Have the demons floating in his soul placed an invisible shield over his eyes to make him blind and completely oblivious to everything around him?

He probably would not even notice a pink and blue polka-dotted elephant sitting outside his window.

Sighing, she got up from lying flat on her bed and went to the kitchen for a drink.

Mrs. Lovett was relieved to find that Mr. Todd was nowhere to be seen, at this point she didn't give a damn if he had run off in the dark, he was leaving her tomorrow anyway.

Besides, when Mr. Todd is gone she would no longer have to worry about crying and making a fool of herself. Then again, when he was gone it would give her another thing to cry about. The fact that he married her and told her that he didn't love her practically everyday. And the fact that he left her to die alone and miserable. Sure Alfred was nice but he wasn't going to be around forever…

Not to mention, nothing could ever replace the love of her life. Not even a baby, something that she had wanted ever since she was a little girl playing dolls at her Aunt Nettie's cottage.

"If you only knew, Mr. Todd…" She whispered to herself sadly, opening up the kitchen liquor cabinet and reaching past the rum to pull out a bottle of gin.

Mrs. Lovett hadn't bothered to change out of her sopping wet clothes. She didn't even find the need. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered to get out of bed other than to feed Alfred. It was sad to know that she really did have nothing to live for.

Her fulfilled dream of living by the sea just wasn't the same without Sweeney by her side.

She got herself out a glass and sat down at the table, propping her booted feet up on the chair beside her on the table.

Just when Mrs. Lovett was feeling content with her moment of solemn drinking, _he _showed up in the doorway.

It appeared that he hadn't bothered to change either.

"What?" She asked after a second or two of him staring at her, drink in hand.

He said nothing and got himself a glass, sitting down in the chair at the end of the table, grabbing the bottle of gin and pouring himself a tumbler.

She watched him from the rim of her cup, eyebrow raised and irritated that he still hadn't bothered to say anything.

Mrs. Lovett decided to ignore him, if he could pretend that she didn't exist than why couldn't she do the same to him?

"I didn't mean to hurt you… I don't know what came over me." He said quietly, stirring the gin around in his glass as he looked anywhere but at her.

Mrs. Lovett couldn't help but chuckle sarcastically, "Why should you worry if you hurt me or not? I mean nothing to you. Remember?"

Mr. Todd said nothing after that, neither of them did. But after a whole bottle and a half of gin Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett found themselves stumbling arm-in-arm down the beach.

Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett moved drunkenly in the damp sand as Mrs. Lovett laughed uncontrollably, leaning against Mr. Todd's shoulder, her free arm outstretched and carrying a half-empty bottle of gin.

"Jus' one snog…" Mrs. Lovett purred in a silly manner.

"No!"

"Oh come now, Mista T!" She scoffed before pecking him playfully on the lips.

"Stop it." He scowled, pushing her clumsily away.

"You know you lovettttt." She slurred mischievously, drinking another slug of gin and placing a sloppy kiss upon his lips.

"Oh shut up." He growled, kissing her back fiercely, and falling back into the sand - Mrs. Lovett landing on top of him, causing her to giggle nonstop for a few moments until Mr. Todd shut her up by kissing her roughly.

Her giggles were muffled soon after as their kiss deepened, her hands resting on top of his chest, her lips parting to allow his tongue to slip sensually into her mouth.

His hands ran up and down her sides as they kissed fervently. His fingers soon found themselves in her hair as his thumbs stroked her cheeks affectionately before his hands moved back down her body to rest comfortably at her hips.

It was morning now, and the sun was just rising from behind the ever-present blue sea.

A husband lie fully-clothed in the sand with his wife sleeping soundly on his chest, completely unaware and heedless, not knowing how they had gotten here. He knew that they had been drinking, and from what he could remember, it had been a lot.

He had a blurry image of her giggling on top of him, though he couldn't remember anything besides that and coming to the kitchen for a drink. From the looks of things it appeared that that was all that happened, luckily they were too drunk to do anything other than that. All of their clothes were on and right, much to his relief.

But if he was so relieved, why was he feeling a slight sense of disappointment? And why wasn't he waking her up?

Sweeney had missed his ship, he was supposed to be at the docks before the sun rose, and he was sure that the ship was probably sailing out into sea without him at this very moment. Luckily, he could catch another ship at the same time tomorrow.

But if he was so relieved, why was he feeling a slight sense of disappointment? And why wasn't he waking her up?

It just occurred to him that he was… _holding_ her.

His thoughts were brought to abrupt halt when he felt her stir on top of him. Her head, that was resting on his chest, turning left to right before her eyes fluttered open.

Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, she wouldn't know that he had been holding her-

Too late.

Her groggy gaze met his as she shifted in his embrace, clearly confused as to how she got to be here.

"S'wat are we doin' out 'ere?" Mrs. Lovett asked confusedly.

"I think we drank a bit too much, pet." Mr. Todd replied.

Mrs. Lovett's eyes squinted and her lips formed into a small frown, she had suddenly remembered what he did to her last night. She then grumbled and moved to get off of him.

"Wait-" He said quickly, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him.

She rubbed her eye with her free hand and mumbled, "What do you want now?"

He could sense the irritation in her voice, she was still angry at him, he didn't blame her, especially when he saw the cuts all over her neck and chest.

She sighed, not even caring about what he had to say and wrenched her arm free from his tight grasp.

"I really meant what I said last night." He admitted as he watched her make her way back up to the cottage.

She turned and looked at him coolly. "I don't remember hardly anythin' about last night… 'Sides the fact that ya tried to kill me an' afterwards ya gave me some crackpot excuse that ya didn't mean to 'urt me."

With those words said, she turned and continued on towards the cottage.

A thought then occurred to Mr. Todd. A thought so horrifying and disgusting that it sent shivers down his spine. It was sickening, as if all of his nightmares just rushed in and out of his mind like a breeze of cold air…

Sweeney Todd wasn't looking forward to leaving her tomorrow.

* * *

_Fanfiction was really beginning to make me mad the last few days xD_

_Oh well, it's all good now… Hmmm… I am not really sure what I should say.  
_

_If I were to write as sequel for this, would you read it?_

_Even if you wouldn't read it… I am still going to write it because I am so excited for it!_

_I have it all planned out and everything… There is also a hint to what it is going to be about in this chapter… hee hee…_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Eighteen

The former baker's gloved hand ran over a small wooden box before opening it and pulling out a closed double frame. The evening of her and Mr. Todd's escape from Fleet Street flashed through her eyes.

**Three months, one week, and one day ago…**

Mrs. Lovett glanced around the barbershop, making sure that neither of them had forgotten anything when her eyes had suddenly made contact with the pictures of Lucy and Johanna. Shocked, she picked the frame up off the ground and opened it. Lucy smiled at her through the photograph as baby Johanna rested on her lap, looking just as happy in the picture beside it.

Certainly Sweeney Todd would not have left them here on purpose, but surely he wouldn't be careless about anything like this.

You would think that Mrs. Lovett would have just left them there. But for some reason, she didn't, she couldn't. She couldn't let something so precious to the man that she loved just burn down along with everything else they weren't taking with them, wherever it was that they were going.

Looking around the room for anymore forgotten items, Mrs. Lovett left with the frame and all, making her way back downstairs quickly.

"Did ya get everything, love?" She asked him hastily, glancing down the street, not forgetting the pictures clutched beneath her coat.

Sweeney's face made no expression as he grumbled a 'yes.'

-

It amazed Mrs. Lovett to this very day that he still hadn't asked her about them, maybe he really did leave them to burn…

It had been about a half hour since breakfast, which consisted of nothing other than tea and a few slices of bread being that Mrs. Lovett was in need to go to the market.

She may have been a bit hurt by him, but she wasn't going to let that ruin her last hours with him, so she decided not to ignore him, but continue to shower him with adoration in hopes that he would change his mind and stay with her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Todd was making his way down the hallway and towards the parlor when he caught sight of Mrs. Lovett.

Curious as to what she was looking at with such bewilderment, he turned quickly into her room.

"What is that?"

His sharp voice rung through her ears as she jumped and attempted to hide what she was holding. "It's nothing, Mista T. And ya realy 'ave no right to be comin' into me room-"

Sweeney suddenly grabbed her wrist and quickly let go, realizing what it was that she had.

She calmed down only just a tad when she saw the blank, almost calm expression on his face. "I'm sorry… I-"

"Where did you get that?" He asked, sitting absentmindedly beside her on the bed.

She sat the picture frame between them, speaking nervously, "I found it on the floor in your shop and I figured… I figured that ya must 'ave left it by mistake…"

She paused when she saw him move his hand over the closed frame.

"Go on." He whispered to her, staring down at the object.

"So I picked it up and brought it with us an' ya never said anything so I…" Her voice trailed off when she realized that his gaze was now brought back to _her_. "Please don't be mad at me, love."

"I'm not angry," He responded calmly as he shook his head, seeing the pictures that he had abanded three months ago had aroused a lot of nostalgia, but for some strange reason he was more worried about his wife's being rather than his own at the moment.

"Do you want it back?" She hesitated as she moved away from him a bit, his serene reaction frightening her a bit.

"You had it all this time…"

He moved closer to her, almost sitting on his _once_ cherished photographs.

Surprised that he wasn't yelling at her or storming off with his pictures, Mrs. Lovett nodded a 'yes'.

Just slightly, he shifted his body to the side so that he could gently run his hands over her thighs.

She said nothing, knowing that she should push him away but…

"You're not still mad at me… Are you, pet?" He murmured as he kissed beneath her earlobe, his hands moving even more slowly to grip at her sides.

She exhaled and closed her eyes, gulping. "No…" She breathed, though the knowledge of his likeliness to pull away at any moment kept bubbling up into her mind.

He grinned against her neck as he went to kiss her scratches, muttering, "I never meant to hurt you," as he went.

Upon their haste to get closer to the other, the double frame fell and hit the floor with a mild _bang_, it went unnoticed, although Sweeney's pleas did not.

She placed her hands over his as they held tightly on her waist, pulling away uncomfortably.

"Then don't go…" She whispered, looking at him with painfully sad eyes when he lifted his head from her chest to gaze at her, his face barely five centimeters away from her own. "Please…"

He wanted to kiss her. Kiss her and tell her that he was never going to leave her, that his place was here, with her. But something deep inside of him pulled him back, tugging at the sensitive strings of his heart.

He moved his head so that their lips touched for a mere second, he could feel the warmth of their bodies radiating off of one another…

Noticing his sudden yet unsurprising resistance, Mrs. Lovett took one of her hands off of his and limply lifted it up to run through his hair.

He hesitated, still holding onto her waist as she leaned against her headboard and stared up at him lovingly.

Without thinking he asked, "What do you want from me?"

She frowned, the answer was so obvious and she could have sworn that she had told him at least a hundred times, "I just want ya to let me love you..."

"I can't," He said, "You know I- I…"

"Shhh…" She shushed him, moving her hand from his hair to place a finger over his lips, "Ya don't 'ave to stay, jus' let me… Let me -"

He watched her intently, she was being so calm…

"Hold me?" She requested, just barely above a whisper, "Jus' for a little while…"

They sat in silence for a few moments before he shook his head in agreement, lying down on the bed and taking her in his arms.

It was so simple. All she wanted to do was love her husband. But sadly, she had a husband that didn't want to be loved. She had a husband that wanted nothing more other than to be left alone, for he was afraid that if he let her love him, he would someday grow to love her too.

* * *

_Well this chapter was a FAIL. It was very unplanned and not even close to my storyline, thus explaining the long time it took me to update… Hopefully the next will be better… _

_I start school tomorrow, which is the eighth of September. I really don't want to go to high school :p_

_Hmmm…_

_Scarlett M. reminds me of Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show…_

_WTF?! Jamie Campbell Bower is playing in "New Moon"? _

_NOO! DAMN YOU ANTHONY!_

_Dear Beta, I am sorry that I fail._


	19. Chapter Eighteen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Nineteen

"I thought ya'd gone…" Mrs. Lovett said to him as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

Sweeney turned, lifting his head out of his palms as he sat at the table, he must have awoken her when he left her bedroom…

It was late, and it was not long after Mr. Todd had gotten up after spending the last few hours awake with Mrs. Lovett in his arms, having been he dozed off shortly after lying down with her.

"What?" He answered, wishing that she would just go back to bed.

"I felt ya go…" Was all she could muster, her eyes looking sadly at him and back to the floor.

When Mrs. Lovett felt him let go of her and leave, she thought that he had gone for good. That it was already morning and that he had already left for his ship. Words couldn't even explain the horror and heartache that she endured after discovering that he wasn't in his room, and the relief that overcame her when she found him sitting in the kitchen, the view of midnight in his wake.

"I - I didn't, not yet, at least." He said, getting up to put his hand on her shoulder, "You should get back to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"No." She shook her head, shrugging his hand off her shoulder, "Aren't ya tired?"

"Not in the slightest." He replied, "But you should still get some more rest."

"Not until I get to say goodbye…" She said, leaning up to place a chaste kiss upon his lips.

Though it was just a simple peck on the lips he still understood it's hidden meaning - he know that things would come to this.

"We can't…" He responded, trying to avoid an argument by being as nice to her as possible.

"Yes." She protested, her hand absentmindedly moving up his chest to wrap around his neck, "We can."

Fighting the urge to tell her off and ask her why she was so desperate to sleep with him, he opened his mouth to make his retort but a sigh escaped him instead.

"Please don't leave me." Mrs. Lovett blurted out suddenly, making it obvious that she had a lot on her mind.

"We've been through this." He said, his tone louder than he had meant it to be.

"But… What if there isn't even money-"

"I told you. You could sell some vegetables from your garden at the docks or something; none of those people should even recognize you."

"But what if Alfred runs away or… or…."

"Bloody hell, Mrs. Lovett!" He exclaimed, turning from her in frustration, "Make friends with some fish for all I care! You've lived alone for years, what's the difference?"

At first she looked as if she was about to cry, but instead her eyes narrowed and she fell helplessly in his arms.

"I don't wanna be alone anymore..." She whimpered, her words muffled from the way she clung to him, "I don't wanna 'ave to wait, 'oping that someday you'll come back to me again…"

"You know that that can never happen, me coming back here."

And with those words she released her grip on his shirt and rammed him hard in the chest. Sweeney had meant to comfort her, though he knew he only upset her even more.

"Why are ya doin' this to me?" She cried, pressing her face harder against him.

He blinked, slightly taken aback by her sudden physical outburst and continued to pat her back.

"What am I? I don't…"

"You'll never understand." She snapped, turning her head in search for air, couldn't he see that he was tearing her up inside?

"I'll do anything - _anything_." She begged.

"There's nothing you can do, Mrs. Lovett."

She muttered something into his shirt that he couldn't quite make out, "What?" He asked her.

She looked up and frowned at him, "It's Mrs. Todd for the umpteenth time, ya arse."

He quit patting her. "_Mrs. Todd?! _You don't even have a ring!"

She released him, hands on her hips. "And that's my fault? What do ya expect me to do, get me own ring?!"

"People that get married out of _whim,_ get rings. People that get married because they _have_ to, don't usually get rings." He stated rather indignantly.

"Oh don't start on this again!" She glared at him, "Ya know perfectly well that things didn't 'ave to be this way. Ya know that we didn't 'ave get married. Ya know that we could've made our separate ways then."

She saw him advance his way over to her, and before she knew it, Mr. Todd had grabbed her and spun her around so that and that her back was pressed against his chest.

His arms wrapped themselves tightly around her smaller frame as he sneered into her ear, "You know why I married you."

"Then why are ya leavin' me?" She asked him, closing her eyes when she felt him nuzzle her neck.

Sweeney simply ignored her question and spun her back around, backing her up against the table and taking her wrists into his hands.

She did not protest when he pushed her down onto the table and pinned her wrists above her head, leaning over her as he glared at her with so much perplexity in his eyes.

"I've been so tired of waiting…" Mrs. Lovett whispered longingly to him, her voice dropping as his body stood between her legs that dangled off of the table.

Their breathing was already ragged. Mrs. Lovett felt so vulnerable beneath his hold. Sweeney caressed her neck with his lips, causing his wife to close her eyes and shudder against his alluring and much wanted touch.

"I -"

"Shh…" He silenced her as his lips moved to kiss beneath her earlobe and whisper into her ear, "I think we've been dancing around this for too long, my pet…."

She bit her lip, moving her arms to wrap around his neck after finally releasing her hands from his hold. Their lips met almost instantly after that, in a surprisingly slow and gentle kiss.

Sweeney Todd was tired, tired of holding back like a chained prisoner denying himself the scrap of food that was lying right in front of him. So without hesitation he kissed her again, rougher than the last time, letting his lips trail down her mouth to her chest.

"You're…" She panted, "You're positive that-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, for his hands just moved to push up her dress.

-

Nellie Lovett had never felt more complete in her life. Especially when he looked deeply into her eyes before penetrating her, when he kissed her to distract her from the pain that she was too overcome to feel.

Once they were finished, Mrs. Lovett had many things going through her mind, one being that Mrs. Henry's guess on Mr. Todd's bedfellow ship had been indeed correct.

Sweeney's forehead sat on top of Mrs. Lovett's after he shifted to move out of her and breathed raggedly, closing her eyes as they both fought to catch their breath.

When they're panting subsided, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to rest her head in the crook of his neck.

_Oh no, she can't possibly be crying again… _Sweeney thought warily when he felt her warm tears sink through the fabric of his shirt.

_How could she be? _He thought more, he had just given her what she's wanted… didn't he?

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he felt her place a quivering kiss on his neck and the felt her shift, "It's late," She said quietly, causing him to move and meet eyes with her.

"Ya should get a good night's rest for tomorrow, eh?" She said, a sad yet fake smile curving her lips.

He nodded soundlessly and made his way off of her, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she immediately turned on her heel and made her way across the room, pausing abruptly at the doorway before uttering, "Good night... Love."

He continued to say nothing, having been that he was not impelled by her saddening behaviour, and followed her down the hall, stopping himself when he almost followed her into her room and turned to the direction of his room instead.

Mrs. Lovett would have liked to hold him until he was to leave in a few hours time, but the knowing realization that he was just going to rip himself away from her again kept eating her up inside. This is part of the reason why Mr. Todd found her coming into his room a little over an hour later.

Sweeney looked over at her, she was surprisingly quiet and from the looks of things it didn't look like she was going to try and cuddle up beside him like he'd secretly hoped she would.

Mrs. Lovett sat at the edge of his bed, her back turned to him as she cleared her throat, staring down onto the wooden planks of the floor as she spoke. "I know that - I know that I already told you before… But I never told you the way that - well -" She sighed, "An' you don't 'ave to say anything because I know that you are more than likely to never feel the same."

A tear rolled gently down her cheek. "I love you. I love you so much. I know that there's some good left in ya." She said hopefully, breathing in another intake of air before continuing, "I jus' know it. You're beautiful, and it 'urts to know that I will never see ya again because you're not goin' to 'ell like me. You're soul will be in 'eaven… With 'er."

It was sincerely the most caring thing that anyone had ever told him in the last fifteen years. It was also the first time that Mrs. Lovett had ever mentioned Lucy to him since they'd been married.

She sat there for a few moments as she gathered her senses, during which Sweeney lie there, thunderstruck.

He wanted to say something back, something hopefully just as lovely as her words had been to him. But he couldn't think of anything - Well, he _could_ - He just wasn't sure if it were true or not.

When the words that she didn't expect failed to come as she figured, Mrs. Lovett stood up. The moon that once rested on her face, now reflected over the face of a troubled man. A man that had so much he would have liked to say to his wife, but couldn't.

No matter how much he knew she had yearned to hear those three little words fall from his lips…

* * *

Hello reader, fanfiction wouldn't let me center this :O

_Thank you **Commoner's Coffee**, I totally and completely agree, 'randomly' is a terrible word-_

_This chapter was particularly hard to write. I have had the ending of this chapter written for pretty much a month, except for the last line, which I am still not satisfied with. But, thanks to Commoner's Coffee I am feeling a bit better about it._

_I know that in this story, Mrs. Lovett tends to cry, a lot. Well, there is a reason for that. Both of them have been feeling so much pent up emotion and both are probably thinking that it's all for nothing. I mean, honestly, Mrs. Lovett went out of her way to help him in hopes that someday he would marry her - he does and nothing seems to have changed… So naturally, she isn't going to keep it bottled up anymore._

_"Immaaa say it real clear. Ahhh-Mayyy-Zinnggg Booook."_

Look up Nuttymadam3575 on youtube, seriously.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_Illusions That Confine Us_

Chapter Twenty

The saddened wife of Sweeney Todd had been up all night. She had been so full of thoughts and aware of the fact that she was merely drowning in her own self pity, reminding herself dreadfully as her husband. She was just so succumbed with the idea and guilt that she had been selfish, for if she really loved him, she would let him go.

Mrs. Lovett had come to terms with the fact that he was just not happy with her. Like a caged bird that still sung, though it's owner knew that it would be much happier when set free.

She thought about getting up several times between the last few hours. She couldn't. Not even now as Sweeney stood in her doorway, watching her. She knew he was there, she was first aware of his presence when she heard the sound of his boots pause at her doorstep, which was wide open.

He'd been there the last fifteen minutes, watching and waiting for her to say something, perhaps come up with an excuse as to why she didn't have the courage to get up and face the reality that he was leaving. She also knew that he was just as surprised as she was when he awoke to find that she wasn't up and about, fussing to get him ready and to possibly try and get him to stay with her once more.

It was a strange sight, seeing a woman that was usually so lively, lying on her side and staring blankly at the wall. If Mr. Todd didn't know any better, he would have thought her to be dead, that is if it wasn't for her slow yet steady breathing movements.

Deciding that it was time for him to leave, Sweeney walked over to her and tucked a few stray curls behind her ear. "Goodbye, pet." He whispered to her, causing her eyes to close and fight the urge to cry.

With a sigh and a drop of his eyes to the floor, Sweeney realized that there really wasn't much left to say at all and that it would probably be best to just go.

He figured that Mrs. Lovett must have thought the same way, because when he walked back over to the door and proceeded upon leaving, she didn't follow.

Slowly and painfully, the day progressed. A heartbroken woman fought the urge to cry, a cat sensed his caretaker's distress, and a former barber wondered if he had made the right choice.

-

Mr. Todd had been hanging around the docks since the ship that he was supposed to be on left. He watched it set sail, and since then, he couldn't stop thinking.

The image of her lying so helplessly on her bed was sending him all of these mixed messages and urges to go back her.

Why couldn't he aboard the ship like he had been planning for weeks now?

Since when did the mere thought of sailing thousands of miles away from his wife make him feel sick to his stomach?

...Why was he walking in the direction back to their cottage?

After hours of thinking and minutes of walking, he made it on the threshold of the cottage. He thought about knocking, considering that if he just walked right in she would think him to be a burglar, then again she was probably asleep and he didn't want to wake her.

Quietly, he opened the door.

He was greeted by a pitch-black kitchen, the only light source coming from the moon's glow through the windowpane, followed by the persistent mew of Alfred.

The cat had apparently perched himself along the windowsill, and Sweeney watched the shadow of Alfred's tail twisting in it's silhouette along the wall, interupted when the tangerine feline looked up at him with yellow eyes and meowed.

If Sweeney didn't know any better, he would have thought the cat to have been waiting for him, as if he knew that he would be coming back…

Alfred meowed again and Sweeney grunted as he picked him up (the cat was quite large, you know).

As Sweeney made his way down the hall, he couldn't help but notice the flickering light on the opposite side of the wall. And when he reached his room, he paused in the doorway, dropping the cat down gently when he saw none other than his wife sleeping soundly in his bed.

Immediately upon being placed back onto the floor, Alfred made his way gracefully onto the desk where a single candle burned, lighting the room dimly.

Sweeney paid no attention, too captivated by his sleeping wife to notice. Even when Alfred started to dangerously circle the top of the desk, barley missing the flame with his tail.

After moments of unexplained staring, Mr. Todd turned from his wife to retreat to the parlor for the night, only to be stopped when the still-lit candle fell off of the desk.

Alfred hissed, having been he had just singed his tail and ran out of the room. The flames started to spread and Mr. Todd tried to put the fire out with the water left in the basin, but he was unsuccessful.

Throughout all of this, Mrs. Lovett still did not wake. And half-panicking, Sweeney picked her up and carried her across the room, trying desperately to avoid the rising flames.

He ran with her outside and down the slight slope that their cottage resided on and placed her down onto the cool sand. It was then she awoke.

"Mista T?" She asked, looking at him and then at her surroundings, gasping loudly when she noticed the fire rising up from behind the cottage. "The bloody house is on fire!"

"I know," he grumbled, "Where is that sodding cat?"

"Alfred?!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed before sitting up, alarmed that her beloved Alfie could be in danger. She looked back at her startled husband worriedly.

Sweeney then told his wife to try and put the fire out the best she could, and fought his way back into the blazing inferno for the blasted cat.

There was no time for questions. If this was indeed a dream, it was sure a realistic one. The air was already starting to smell of smoke and ash…

Wasting no time, Mrs. Lovett got up from the sand and quickly went and grabbed the bucket that she used for collecting shells (she had luckily forgotten to take it back inside the last time she used it) and filled it up with sand and a bit of seawater. Running back up behind the house she threw it at the fire, repeating this process until she found it to be no use, the fire just kept growing.

She had just finished making her umpteenth trip back to the seashore to obtain some more water when it suddenly dawned on her that Sweeney still hadn't come out of their burning home after hurrying to find her cat.

Suddenly, she felt some drops of water fall onto her bare arms, and looking up, she saw that it was beginning to rain.

Right at that moment, Sweeney emerged from the remainder of the fire, carrying the troublesome cat Alfred in his arms.

It started to rain harder as her soot covered husband came nearer to her, carrying her incredibly filthy cat in his arms.

She dropped her bucket and immediately ran to him, too overwhelmed by her luck to notice that it was now pouring out.

The couple now stood before each other. Neither knew exactly what to do or say, but when the sky lit up and a loud roar of thunder rung through their ears, Mr. Todd grabbed his wife's wrist and ran with her (and Alfred) to a nearby fisherman's shed.

When they entered the tiny building, Alfred hopped out of Mr. Todd's arms and made himself comfortable on top of a pile of fishing nets.

Mrs. Lovett immediately turned to her husband and mouthed the words 'thank you' to him, seeing as how she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Sweeney leaned himself against the wall and slid to sit on the floor, exhausted from the day's events.

Mrs. Lovett knelt down beside him and caressed his cheek, causing him to turn his head and look into her eyes.

"Ya didn't miss ya ship, did ya?"

He shook his head and she smiled faintly, her heart melting.

"I know that I didn't say goodbye to ya this morning like I sh -"

He interrupted her quietly, "Maybe it's the best goodbyes that make you want to stay."

Though reluctant at first, Sweeney soon saw just how simple it would be to let his wife love him at last. Perhaps he would love her someday, but for now, she was content with him finally accepting the fact that she did.

After all, it's these illusions that confine us into thinking that what we desire is impossible, when it really isn't all that inevitable in the first place.

**To be continued…**

* * *

_HOLY FOPPING **** I FINISHED!_

_There is so much that I would like to say… _

_I hope that these last few months have been kind to you. This is the longest I've gone without updating this story, which shows just how hard endings are for me to write. What's new with me you may ask? _

_Well, I played the "Rat Game" at an Emilie Autumn concert December third and Captain Maggot spit tea on me a few times. It was lovely 3 _

_BTW, This isn't entirely the end! In fact, it's far from it! Oh joy :D _

_I thought about putting it all into one story, but everyone I asked liked the idea of splitting them up. _

_Which reminds me, I'd like to thank my wifey and baby momma/daddy Muffcake aka NeonBlaqk and Grapenut01! _

_You have no idea how much I've harassed them xD _

_& thanks so much to everyone that has read or reviewed or both! _

_You make me so happy! I love you!_

_-- _

'What If' Scenarios: _Untitled_

A different ending to 'Illusions That Confine Us'. Basically, one or two other endings that were considered for this story.

Pre-Sequel: _Another Light_

A series of five one-shots taking place around the course of four months.

Sequel: _Sweetest Downfall_

"We're not even married… or together -" He stressed out the word 'together' before continuing, "For more than six months and already you want to have a baby?!"

When a baby shows up on their doorstep, Mrs. Todd's only wish it to keep it.

_Both coming soon to fanfiction._


End file.
